The Fire In Your Eyes
by snazattack
Summary: She was like a goddess ripped from the world of myth and given life in this place and this time, an avenging angel come to seek vengeance for what had been done or maybe an angel of death come to finish the last survivors of a dying world.
1. Chapter 1

My first attempt at anything Resident Evil. I don't know if I'll continue it…just needed to get this bit outta my head.

I'm only borrowing from the Resident Evil universe- don't own a thing.

The Fire In Your Eyes

Claire Redfield stopped, suddenly unable to make her legs carry her forward. Her mind screamed at her to go, to save as many as she could but the fear she felt at the sight before her paralyzed her, rendered her incapable of movement; she was rooted in place, mouth hanging open and a look somewhere between awe and horror on her face as she stared at what she hoped was the convoy's savior and not their destruction. The woman, the being or thing, whatever this was filled her sight, her eyes unable to look away from the terrible beauty she was witnessing. She resembled a woman but this was no mere woman, couldn't be just an ordinary mortal woman. She was like a goddess ripped from the world of myth and given life in this place and this time, an avenging angel come to seek vengeance for what had been done or maybe an angel of death come to finish the last survivors of a dying world. She was beautiful, magnificent and powerful. She was the most terrifying thing Claire had ever seen. She was standing alone, duster blowing out behind her, unruly hair whipping around her face. Her body was rigid, her face a mask of concentration, her arms outstretched and lifted to the sky. _Oh god, the sky, _thought Claire. It was no longer the cerulean sky they had been traveling under for what seemed like a lifetime. It was filled with flames, a swirling inferno, like the fires from the pits of hell had gotten tired of the confined spaces underground and decided to come up top to play for a while. Her brain urging her to move and the realization that this amazing creature standing before her was killing the infected avian flock, saving her ragtag band of survivors, Claire finally broke free of the spell that had been holding her hostage. Moving swiftly, yelling instructions to the panicked faces surrounding her, Claire gathered her family of survivors together and did her best to reassure them. She searched the faces looking for the one that meant the most to her, the one she couldn't lose; K was missing.

"Where's K-mart? Did anyone see her?"

The members of the convoy looked at each other, looked at their feet, looked at the burning sky, looked at the bloodied, motionless bodies on the ground but none would meet Claire's eyes except Carlos. She knew they thought K-mart was dead.

"She's not dead! Do you hear me? She's alive!"

"Claire, I saw her by the Hummer while we were evacuating the bus."

"Stay with them, Carlos." Claire took off at a run, frantic eyes darting in every direction, screaming for K-Mart. She made it to the Hummer, searched inside it, around it and underneath it. She took a deep breath, tried to find an inner calm then scanned the area. Her breath caught when she saw a still body underneath a collapsed beam, blonde hair fanned out on the dusty earth. _NO! NO! NO!_

"K-mart!" Claire's vision tunneled, narrowed until all she could see was K-mart. She ran to her, screaming K-mart's name, willing her to move, to breathe.

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice threw her meager belongings to the ground and ran in the direction of the screams. She topped a small rise and saw a group of people, living people free of infection, fighting for their lives, hundreds of infected birds trying to feast on their living flesh. Alice took in everything in seconds, the bodies lying on the ground, beaks tearing into still warm flesh, bright red blood running in rivulets across the dry, barren ground. It was chaos; these people would die if she didn't do something. She had to save them. In her mind, every life she saved gave her back just a little piece of her humanity, erased the taint Umbrella had left on her soul. She saw the flames and used them, seduced them to do her will. Lifting her arms, Alice spoke to the flames and they responded to her call, growing into a churning maelstrom seeking the infected birds. Alice maintained her focus, embraced the flames, sent them roiling across the sky to devour the birds. She had never used her power in this way, never lost herself so completely. She was caught up in the flames, unable to tear herself away; she was being devoured as surely as the birds. When she heard the grief-stricken, heart-wrenching scream she was pulled back from the edge. The flames receded and dissipated, faded away to nothing. Alice had never expended so much energy; she was exhausted, wavering on her feet. Before she collapsed, before the blackness took her, she looked at the woman whose screams reached her, yanked her back from the abyss. The woman turned, their eyes met and Alice felt something she thought long dead stir inside her.

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire reached K-mart, saw the blood covering her face and let out a mournful wail. She pulled the beam off her, pushed it to the side and pulled her into her arms just as K-mart's eyes fluttered open. She sagged in relief, holding tight to the girl who had become a daughter to her.

K-mart pulled back from Claire, her eyes wide as she stared at the burning sky. Claire got to her feet and pulled K-mart up with her. They needed to get back to the others.

"Who is she?"

"I don't know. C'mon, we need to get back to the others."

"Claire, the sky is starting to clear."

Claire lifted her head to the sky to see patches of blue showing through the dwindling flames. In seconds, the fire was gone. The only evidence that it had ever been were wisps of smoke and charred remains of birds littering the ground. Claire turned to the woman who had just saved them. When they made eye contact, Claire's heart quivered in her chest. Like the sky, she could see a beautiful shade of blue through the fire burning in the woman's eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

When I started this, it was meant to be a quick one-shot. Now, I think it just has to be told because it won't get out of my head. I don't know how frequently I will update since my focus is really on Mass Effect right now but I will try to update at least every few weeks.

Anything in italics is a thought, memory, dream...you get the picture.

I'm just borrowing the Resident Evil universe for my story.

The Fire in Your Eyes- Chapter 2

Claire watched the woman fall. Their eyes met briefly before this woman who had just saved her life, her entire convoy, slumped forward and landed in a heap on the ground. For Claire, time slowed. It was like a scene in some bad action movie where the hero watches his love die by the hand of his mortal enemy. It seemed to take an exceedingly long time for the woman to complete her passage from savior to an unmoving lump of flesh, her worn duster blending with the endless brown landscape. Claire stood motionless for a heartbeat before sending K-mart to get Carlos and LJ. As she ran to the woman's side, blackened birds disintegrated beneath her feet. The ground was littered with ash and smoldering wood. Claire stood over the woman, indecisive and unsure. She was scared…afraid of the woman, afraid of what she saw her do just minutes before, afraid of the churning in her gut and the pounding of her heart. Kneeling, she turned the woman on her back. She was pale, as white as a blanket of new fallen snow, not yet tarnished by the filth that inhabited this world. Claire let out her breath when she realized that, while unresponsive, the woman was still breathing. She moved an errant lock of hair from the woman's face, her fingers shaking as they brushed the woman's cheek. She pulled the woman's head to her lap feeling a surge of protectiveness for this stranger. She could hear footsteps behind her and turned to see Carlos, LJ and K-mart running toward her. As they approached, the woman in her arms started thrashing violently, crying out…hoarse screams that sent a chill up Claire's spine. Instinctively, she bent over the woman, pulled her closer and tried to soothe her. She could feel K-mart's hands on her back as Carlos knelt in front of her.

"Claire."

"We need to get her inside, Carlos. Help me lift her." Claire lifted the woman's head from her lap and laid it gently on the ground as she got to her knees.

"Oh my god, Alice."

Claire's head jerked up to see a look of shock and confusion on Carlos' face. "You know her? Carlos?"

"What? Yeah, I know her. I thought she was dead." Carlos shook his head and looked up to meet Claire's eyes. "She got me out of Raccoon City…saved my life."

Claire wanted to question Carlos, learn everything she could about this woman…Alice. First, they needed to get her inside, make sure she was going to be okay.

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire stood in the doorway watching Alice sleep. Her chest was rising and falling steadily and her skin was no longer deathly pale. When they brought Alice inside this morning, Claire didn't want to leave her, felt compelled to keep her safe, but she had responsibilities to the convoy. After ensuring K-mart was uninjured, Claire asked her to watch over Alice while she reassured and organized the group of survivors that depended on her to keep them safe. She met with Carlos and Chase, the three of them deciding to stay put for another night. Six of their number had been killed by the birds. They would need to be buried. Claire went through the motions, moving as quickly as she could through the members of her convoy. She returned to Alice as soon as she could and sent K-mart to help finish setting up camp. Hours later, the convoy had settled down for the night and Alice was still sleeping. Carlos refused to tell Claire anything about Alice, saying only that it was not his place to tell her story. Claire has asked him nicely then threatened him but no amount of asking, threatening or pleading would move him. They had put Alice on a couch in the lobby of the run-down motel. Claire pulled a chair close to the couch and sat, an exhausted sigh escaping her lips. She had checked Alice for injuries and cleaned the dirt and grime from her face. In the hours Claire had spent watching over Alice, she had studied her face, felt like she knew it as well as her own. She could close her eyes and see the little lines at the corners of Alice's eyes, imagine them crinkling when Alice smiled. She looked around the decaying room, filled with broken furniture and useless junk from another life, a life they would never have again. She thought about all she had lost, all the world had lost in the last few years. She had been pushing herself, pushing the convoy to survive in a world that had lost all hope. Each day was harder, more tiring; each day Claire slipped a little closer to despair. She thought the little glimmer of hope she once harbored had been extinguished for good but when she looked at Alice, looked at this total stranger, she felt rekindled hope for…something. Stifling a yawn, Claire shifted in the uncomfortable chair and closed her eyes, thoughts of the convoy drifting through her mind as she let sleep take her. Later, she had no idea if it had been minutes or hours since she fell asleep, she was awakened by Alice who was once again flailing in her sleep. Claire moved to the edge of the couch and gently shook Alice, whispered her name. Without warning, Alice flipped her to the floor, her weight pinning Claire in place. Claire could see that Alice was confused. Her head was whipping from side to side, her eyes darting in every direction. Everything in the room was levitating, slamming against the walls. Claire could hear voices outside, knew someone would send a bullet tearing through Alice's head if they saw her like this.

In a shaky voice, Claire tried to calm Alice, let her know that she was safe. "Alice, it's okay. We won't hurt you. Do you remember what happened? Alice, look at me."

TTTTTTTTTT

_Alice was in the hive, fighting to reach Rain and Matt. She could hear them calling her, begging her to save them. She ran down endless corridors, searching every room until she finally found them. Before she could reach them, they were snatched from her. She met their eyes across the room, saw the relief fill their faces when they saw her. The room suddenly filled with the undead, their stench causing Alice to gag. They surrounded Matt and Rain, forcing them to the floor as they bit into them, pulling flesh from bone. Alice stood motionless, watching in horror as the horde of undead faded away leaving Matt and Rain lying, unmoving and bloody, on the floor. She took a step toward them on shaking legs, saw their bodies twitching. In seconds, they were climbing to their feet, eyes filled with hunger when they saw their prey. Alice couldn't move, could barely breathe as they shuffled toward her. She lifted her pistol, tried to hold it steady as she aimed at Rain's head. Her arm was trembling as she slowly started to squeeze the trigger. Tears streaming from her eyes, Alice lowered the gun unable to do what she knew they would want from her, what she owed them. She tried to hold in the screams as they grabbed her, sunk their teeth through skin and muscle, ripping it from her body._

Alice could feel hands on her. Caught in the grip of the nightmare that had plagued her since Raccoon City, she surged up and threw Claire to the floor, holding her down. She looked around in confusion at the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Alice, it's okay. We won't hurt you. Do you remember what happened? Alice, look at me."

Alice looked down at her captive, wondering how this stranger knew her name. When she looked into those expressive eyes, she remembered what happened, remembered the power she had used, how she had almost lost control of it, how this woman's scream had brought her back to herself. She released her hold on the woman and slowly pulled herself to her feet, startled when the items she had been unconsciously lifting fell to the floor. She was still weak and stumbled when she tried to walk to the couch to sit down. A warm arm snaked around her waist, holding her upright as she took the last few steps and let her body fall into the couch.

"Claire, are you okay?"

Claire turned to see Chase in the doorway, his eyes taking in the scene before lifting to meet hers. His rifle was in his hands, raised above his waist. "We're fine, Chase. Alice was just confused when she woke. We're okay." Claire was relieved when Chase turned and went back to the tanker. She was far from okay though. Her heart was thumping in her chest and her knees were on the verge of collapse. Alice was sitting with her face in her hands, her chest heaving. Claire, feeling frightened of the woman in front of her, backed up a few steps to put distance between them.

"Alice, my name is Claire. Claire Redfield. Do you remember what happened today?" When there was no response, Claire continued. "You saved us from the infected birds."

"How do you know my name?" Alice had managed to survive and avoid Umbrella for the past five years by being cautious and staying away from people. The fact that this woman knew her name set off every alarm bell.

"Carlos Olivera is part of the convoy. He…"

"Carlos is alive; he's here?" Alice relaxed at the mention of Carlos' name. If he was with them, these people were not part of Umbrella. She looked up at Claire; saw the distance she had placed between them. She could smell the fear coming from the woman and realized that she was the source of that fear. Alice couldn't blame her. She was frightened of herself, frightened by the monster she had become thanks to Umbrella. She couldn't even remember her life before Umbrella.

"Yeah, he said you saved his life, got him out of Raccoon City."

"What else did he tell you about me?"

"Nothing…he said it wasn't his place to tell your story."

"Are you afraid of me?"

Claire met Alice's intense blue eyes, saw the pain the question caused and knew she had to be truthful with her. Somewhere deep down Claire knew that Alice would never purposely harm innocent people but she did fear her, feared the things she saw her do. She was terrified of her and drawn to her at the same time. It was unsettling and left Claire feeling off balance. "Yes, I'm afraid of what I saw you do. The people in this convoy look to me to protect them. I'm afraid I can't do that against something like you."

"Some _thing_ like me, huh?" Alice tried to hide the pain the woman's words caused. She took a deep breath and steadied herself as she stood, leaning heavily against the lobby's desk. She looked at the convoy leader and felt a pang of sadness that she wouldn't have the opportunity to get to know Claire Redfield better. She was already planning her exit. She would need to gather her sparse belongings from where she dropped them earlier. She knew that she should wait until morning, wait until she was strong enough to defend herself but she couldn't stay here. These people had enough to fear without having the biggest monster of all sleeping in their camp.

Claire immediately regretted her words. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. It's just…the things I saw you do. You controlled that fire, sent it after those birds."

Alice shrugged her shoulders. "It's okay. I don't blame you. It would be better for you and your convoy if I just move on." Alice picked up her duster and weapons from the floor.

Claire was torn. For the convoy, she wanted Alice as far away as possible. For herself, she wanted Alice to stay. Claire always thought of herself last and this would be no different. "You should at least wait until morning."

Alice looked in Claire's eyes and felt her breath catch. "I don't think so, Claire Redfield. Good luck. I hope you find safety."

"What about Carlos?"

Alice smiled thinking about Carlos. She wanted to see him but knew that it would only make it harder for her to leave. "Tell him to stay alive." She turned her back to Claire, her hand lingering on the door knob before she turned it and stepped through the door.

Claire, standing in the doorway watched Alice get ten steps ahead of her. Her guts twisted and she felt regret for something she couldn't name swell up inside her. "Wait." When Alice turned, Claire smiled at her; a bittersweet smile that spoke volumes to anyone who could read it. "You saved the convoy today. Thank you, Alice."

Alice gave her a quick nod before turning and walking through the sleeping camp. Claire watched Alice's retreating form until she stepped out of the campfire's ruddy orange light, watched her until she was swallowed by the inky darkness of the desert night.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** When I started this, it was meant to be a quick one-shot. Now, I think it just has to be told because it won't get out of my head. I don't know how frequently I will update since my focus is really on Mass Effect right now but I will try to update at least every few weeks.

This is set during the Extinction timeline but will only loosely follow the plot.

Anything in italics is a thought, memory, dream...you get the picture.

I'm just borrowing the Resident Evil universe for my story.

The Fire in Your Eyes- Chapter 3

Claire made her way back to the Hummer feeling like she had just been kicked in the gut. When she opened the front door to climb in, K-mart's head popped up from the back seat. She jumped back and pulled her pistol, startled by the sudden movement.

"Is she awake?"

"Damn it, K-mart. I could have killed you."

"Sorry. Is she?"

"Yeah, she's awake."

"Where is she? What's she like? Can I go talk to her?"

"K, she left."

"What? She just woke up and left? Why would she do that? It's the middle of the night and she just woke up from some kind of 'I overused my magic power' coma." K-mart saw the look on Claire's face, a mix of guilt and defensiveness, and knew that Claire had asked Alice to leave.

"You told her to leave, didn't you?"

"No, I didn't tell her to leave."

"Did you try to stop her?"

"No, K. You saw what she did. She knew that we were afraid of her. She said that we would be safer without her around."

"I'm not afraid of her. She saved our lives. We would all be a big fucking pack of the undead right now if she hadn't helped us. She's alone with no supplies in the middle of the fucking desert."

"Hey, watch the language." Claire climbed into the Hummer and slammed the door closed. "I'm tired. We can talk about this in the morning."

After a few minutes and several comments which Claire ignored, K-mart settled down in the back seat.

Claire got as comfortable as possible in the front seat of the Hummer and closed her eyes hoping the physical exhaustion she felt would be enough to send her into the oblivion of sleep. Within minutes, she realized that sleep would not come easy this night. Her mind was in overdrive and gave no indication that it would be slowing down anytime soon. _K is right. I just let her leave with no supplies, already in a weakened state. _Several times Claire contemplated going after Alice but each time convinced herself that Alice leaving was for the best. She spent the next couple of hours trying to get Alice out of her head. It was useless. She pictured Alice standing amidst the swirling flames, looking beautiful and terrifying at the same time. The few brief moments they shared in the span of 12 hours played like a slide show in her head, getting to the end and repeating again…over and over until Claire once again saw Alice leaving the camp, leaving her. Each time, the feeling of regret and loss grew deeper and hurt more. Eventually, she drifted off into an uneasy sleep which left her more tired than rested.

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice barely made it out of the camp and past the perimeter before collapsing. She had never felt so weak in her life, not that she could remember anyway. Several times, she picked herself up and made it a few more feet before falling again. She was determined to get to her meager supplies and get as far away as possible before Carlos found out that she had left and came looking for her. It wasn't that she didn't want to stay with the convoy. She wanted to stay, longed to be around people again so the aching loneliness she felt with every breath she took would go away. She also wanted to know more about Claire Redfield, wanted to understand the pull she felt toward the convoy leader but she didn't want to endanger them. She knew that the power she had used to kill the birds would be picked up by Umbrella satellites and pin point the exact location of where the source originated. It would lead them right to the convoy. Alice needed to get as far away as possible and use her power, switch the focus from this location. She didn't even know which way the convoy was headed. Finally reaching the bags filled with her supplies, Alice pulled one of the water bottles out and drank until it was emptied. The water was warm but still relieved her dry, scratchy throat. She hefted the bags to her shoulder and found a small crevice in a sandstone rock formation just a few feet away. It would hold her and her supplies. It was a tight fit but it was out of the blowing sand and much warmer than the fall desert evening. Looking back towards the camp, she could see the convoy's fires burning low and thought about Claire, saddened by the fact that the woman was terrified of her. She imagined that Claire was in the camp, staring out at the desert thinking about her as her exhausted body relaxed in sleep.

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire woke before dawn and crawled out of the Hummer. She stretched her body and looked around at the silent camp. The fires were out but feathery tendrils of smoke rising from the smoldering ashes were being blown away by the cool breeze. The darkness from the night before was starting to recede, turning from black to a deep shade of blue as the sky lightened. The stars were still visible, their sparkle fading as the sun slowly made its way across the horizon. Claire walked through the camp to the designated bathroom pit before finding herself standing at the perimeter, eyes searching for Alice. There was no Alice. There was nothing but a vast brown emptiness as far as she could see. The only features to break up the monotony of the landscape were a few scattered rock formations that dotted the land. Claire turned back to the camp banging on the sides of vehicles to wake the others as she passed. She asked Mikey to wake the rest of the convoy then pack up the cameras. With the bus out of commission, they would have to put everyone in the back of the two military transports they had found a few weeks back. It wouldn't be comfortable but it would have to do until they could find something else. Back at the Hummer, Claire pulled out a mangled map of Nevada. There was a small town about 60 miles to the south of them. It was out of the way and could only be reached using small county roads which might mean they could find supplies there. They had already depleted the towns and smaller cities along the major roadways. Claire wanted to get moving as soon as possible. She opened the Hummer door and woke K-mart, telling her to get ready to leave within the hour. She turned and walked away before K could start questioning her about Alice again…that conversation could wait until they were on the road. She asked Chase to drain the bus of any remaining gas and to fill the other vehicles. When she saw Carlos emerge from the transport truck he normally drove, she took a deep breath and made her way over to him.

"Morning, Claire. Mikey says were hitting the road early today. What's up?"

"We need supplies. There's a small out of the way town about 60 miles from here. I want to try to get there and get out before dark. With luck, it was too small and too out of the way to be picked completely clean."

Carlos nodded his agreement that the plan was a sound one. "Alice still sleeping?"

"Carlos, she left last night." Claire held up her hand to stop Carlos from interrupting. "Before you ask, I did not tell her to leave but I didn't try to persuade her to stay either. I appreciate what she did for us yesterday but she's too dangerous to stay with us. Did you know she could do that…what she did yesterday?"

"No, I've never seen her do anything like yesterday. Did you tell her I was here?" Claire nodded and Carlos continued. "What did she say? Didn't she want to see me?"

"She said to tell you to stay alive and that it was too dangerous for us if she stayed."

"She is dangerous, Claire, but not to me, you or anyone in this convoy. She would do anything to protect those around her. Did she say where she was going?"

"No, she didn't."

Carlos shook his head and took a deep breath. "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. She did the same thing when I was traveling with her after Raccoon City. We woke up one morning and she was gone. I never saw her again until yesterday."

"I'm sorry, Carlos."

"I need to get everyone organized." Carlos waved off the apology and turned away from Claire, shouting orders as he made his way through the camp.

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice had been scanning the camp for the last hour hoping to see signs that they were waking and would be leaving soon. She would wait until they left then head in the opposite direction, using her powers as she moved away from the convoy. With luck, Umbrella would follow her and never even know the convoy existed. She raised the binoculars back to her eyes and immediately spotted a lone figure standing at the edge of camp. Even though she was unable to see the features or any details, she knew it was Claire. Alice watched her until she turned and walked away. Within 15 minutes the camp was buzzing with activity as people packed up and readied themselves to leave. Several times, she caught a glimpse of Claire as she walked through the camp. Each time, she could feel a flutter in her stomach which made her wish she had died yesterday. She would have been happy knowing that she died saving this group of survivors, saving Carlos…and Claire. Instead, she was alive and feeling more alone than ever because Claire woke something in her, made her feel something she hadn't felt in years, a piece of her humanity she thought lost when Umbrella changed her, corrupted her. Alice dug around in her bag finding a can of fruit and a few stale crackers which she ate as she waited for the convoy to leave. Half an hour later, she heard the distinctive sound of a helicopter. With her enhanced senses, she couldn't be sure how far away it was but knew it was too late to divert Umbrella away from the convoy. She grabbed her bag and ran back to the camp causing some panic as she tore through the camp calling Claire's name.

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire surveyed the camp and was pleased at how quickly things were moving. She returned to the Hummer and pulled out her tattered map again. She memorized the route they would take and placed it back in the vehicle. She placed her weapons in their usual positions in the Hummer. The last thing she wanted was to be searching for a gun with a horde of the undead coming after her. She heard a commotion coming from the other side of camp then heard someone scream her name. She moved from behind the Hummer and saw Alice running toward her, her face pale and worried. She looked around but didn't see a threat.

"Claire, you have to get out of her now."

"What are…"

"Don't argue. Just go. Umbrella is coming. If they find you, they'll take every one of you and use you, experiment on you. If you want to save them then go. Now!"

"What about you?"

"I'm already dead. I'll keep them busy while you get these people out of here."

Claire waited half a second before yelling at everyone to get in the vehicles. She grabbed K-mart who was running toward them and pulled her to the Hummer.

"We can't leave her."

"K-mart, get in the Hummer and shut-up. There's no time now."

"You're going to let her die after she saved us."

"She's trying to save us again." Claire started the Hummer and radioed everyone to follow her south. As she drove away, she looked in her rearview mirror to see Alice standing alone, her hands gripping her pistols, eyes searching the sky.

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice watched the convoy pull away knowing they would be seen. Umbrella would assume Alice was with them and within minutes kill every one of them. She had to keep their attention on her, on this location. She closed her eyes and focused on what she wanted to happen. Slowly, a strong wind started to blow. She pushed it away from her, sent it after the vehicles. It grew stronger as it built up speed and momentum. It was picking up dust and sand, creating a wall to shield the vehicles from the helicopter. Alice still weakened from the previous day, fought to keep the wind alive. The further the vehicles got from her, the harder it became but she was determined to hold on until the helicopter was on the ground and could no longer see the convoy. Finally, the helicopter was hovering above her, slowly descending. Alice dropped to her knees and could feel blood trickling from her nose. When the helicopter was low enough, she let go, stopped pushing the wind. She fell forward on her hands and knees but quickly scrambled up and ran for the building. They might kill her but she wouldn't make it easy for them. She ran to the lobby and secured the back entry with piles of broken furniture. She then took up a position at a window and watched as almost two dozen Umbrella soldiers exited the chopper. Alice couldn't risk using her powers. She would be unconscious in minutes if she tried to do more now. Instead, she removed the last two grenades from her bag. She pulled the pins on both, aimed for the open side of the helicopter and threw them, smiling when they reached their mark and came to rest inside the chopper. Seconds later, the helicopter was a burning hunk of twisted metal and no longer a threat to the convoy. Smiling, Alice raised her guns, prepared to die and started firing.

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire was leading the convoy as fast as she dare go. K-mart was craning her neck, looking behind them to make sure all of the vehicles were still following.

"Claire, look behind us."

Claire turned in her seat and saw a massive wall of dust speeding toward them. It was almost on top of the last vehicle. She picked up the radio and told everyone to pull off the road behind her. It was Alice trying to protect them. This time she would die if she collapsed. If Umbrella really was there, they would take her, kill her; she would be gone forever.

"Everyone okay?" Claire nervously tapped her foot waiting for the others to respond. She let out a breath when all vehicles were accounted for. She grabbed a blanket from the back seat and told K-mart to wrap it around her face.

"Why? What are you doing?"

"I'm going back for Alice and you're riding with Carlos. Let's go."

"Claire, no, it's too dangerous."

"Listen to me. You were right. She saved us yesterday; she's saving us now. I won't leave her but I won't risk anyone else either."

K-mart lunged across the space between them and wrapped her arms around Claire's neck. "Please be careful." Claire held her tight for several seconds before letting her go. She picked up the radio and told Carlos she was bringing something back to him.

"When you get in the truck with Carlos, give me time to get back to the Hummer before you tell him what I'm doing. I don't have time to argue with him." Claire pulled out the map and showed K-mart where they were going. She picked up K-mart's backpack and shoved the map inside before opening her door and instructing K-mart to climb over and get out behind her. There was next to no visibility but, luckily, Carlos was right behind the Hummer. Claire had one arm wrapped around K-mart and the other sliding down the Hummer. When she reached the back of her yellow beast, she slid around so they were directly behind the Hummer. She took four steps forward and could feel the grill on the truck Carlos was driving. She followed it to the left until she reached the passenger door. She pulled it open and helped K-mart into the truck. Before Carlos could say a word, she slammed the door and felt her way back to the Hummer.

Claire started up the Hummer, turned the wheel sharply to the right and tried to keep it on the road. She couldn't see anything but, thankfully, the road was straight. She moved as slowly as possible, once feeling the wheels on the left slip off the roadway. When she cleared the dust, she had to pull over to let her eyes adjust to the harsh sunlight. She looked behind her but could see nothing through the thick wall of dust. She radioed Carlos to let him know that she was in the clear and warned him that she would kill him if he didn't keep going south. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she put the Hummer in gear and pressed the gas pedal to the floor. Before she reached the abandoned motel, she pulled the Hummer behind the nearest rock formation to keep it out of sight. For the first time, she regretted that it was yellow. She picked up her guns and extra ammo before quietly making her way closer to the motel. Hunched behind an abandoned car, Claire peered around the side to take stock of the situation. The helicopter was a smoking ruin and there were black clad bodies strewn all over the ground. She could still hear yelling and gunshots coming from behind the building. She moved to the side of the building and cautiously made her way toward the back. Sliding behind an old ice machine, she looked around. She saw Alice unmoving on the ground, a man standing over with his gun pointed at the back of her head.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** When I started this, it was meant to be a quick one-shot. Now, I think it just has to be told because it won't get out of my head. I don't know how frequently I will update since my focus is really on Mass Effect right now but I will try to update at least every few weeks.

This is set during the Extinction timeline but will only loosely follow the plot.

Anything in italics is a thought, memory, dream...you get the picture.

I'm just borrowing the Resident Evil universe for my story.

The Fire in Your Eyes- Chapter 4

Claire raised her gun, steadied her hand and took aim at the center of the Umbrella soldier's head. He was blown backwards when the bullet tore through his forehead. Claire, gun raised, started walking toward Alice, her eyes searching for more of the Umbrella soldiers. Just as she reached Alice, three more men came from the back door of the motel's lobby. Claire threw herself to the ground, rolled to cover behind a storage shed and started firing at them. She took one down with a bullet to the leg followed by another to his head. One of the men flanked her and grabbed her from behind. He slammed her arm against the shed causing her to drop her gun. She twisted out of his grasp and elbowed him in the temple. When he staggered back, Claire dove for her gun, grabbed it and was on her feet again in seconds. He fired, hitting her in the side. The bullet exploded out of her back, dropping her to her knees. Before he could fire again, Claire raised her gun and shot him in the face. She scrambled to her feet and looked around wildly for the last man. She had lost track of him. Several minutes passed before Claire left the cover of the shed. She started moving towards Alice, circling around as she walked. A noise to her right drew her attention. She turned but saw nothing. Claire could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she searched for the source of the noise. When she heard the gunshot, she expected to feel white hot pain as another bullet pierced her flesh. Instead, she heard a grunt and a thump as something hit the ground. She turned to see the last man on the ground, blood pouring from his head. Behind him, Alice let go of the gun she had just used to kill him and fell back to the ground. Claire went to her and dropped down beside her. She was stunned at the number of bullet wounds covering Alice's body. Her clothes were soaked with blood. Claire couldn't believe Alice's heart could still be beating, her lungs still pulling air into her body. She knelt by Alice, staring down at her, unsure of what she could do to save her. She had a first-aid kit in the Hummer but Alice needed more than a first-aid kit. She had to get her to the Hummer and catch up with the convoy. She needed Betty and the supplies in the ambulance.

"Alice, can you hear me? Alice? I have to go get the Hummer. I'll be back for you in just a few minutes."

Claire ignored the pain in her side as she ran to the Hummer. She was terrified that more Umbrella soldiers would show up before she could get Alice away. She made it to the Hummer and was back for Alice in less than five minutes. She shifted the supplies in the back of the Hummer and lowered the back seat. Once Alice was in the vehicle, Claire gathered up Alice's weapons and the weapons of the men she had just killed then climbed in the Hummer. Circling around the motel, Claire got out and retrieved more weapons and ammo from the dead men. In the new world, guns and bullets meant life. She also retrieved Alice's bags and duster from the ground and threw them in before heading south.

TTTTTTTTTTT

Claire had been trying to reach the convoy on the radio with no success. They were too far away for the short range radios to transmit. After traveling about ten miles, Claire saw a place that would partially hide the Hummer between two large sand dunes. She was having a hard time driving with the pain of her wound, which was seeping blood, and she needed to try to do something to help Alice. She climbed to the back of the Hummer holding in a breath, afraid Alice would be gone…dead. Relief filled her when she saw the steady rise and fall of Alice's chest. Over the next hour, she cut away Alice's clothes, horrified to see the damage done to her. She had four bullet wounds and her entire torso was bruised. She also had a gash on the back of her head. She cleaned and bandaged Alice's wounds and tried to make her as comfortable as possible, covering her with one of her blankets. She then did the same with her wound before swallowing some antibiotics and pain medication. She tried again, unsuccessfully, to reach the convoy before throwing the radio to the floor in frustration. Using a butane gas torch, Claire heated some water and dissolved both antibiotics and pain medication in it. When it cooled, she lifted Alice, slid in behind her and rested Alice's back against her chest. She slowly gave her the water, thankful when Alice swallowed it. Feeling the effects of the pain medication, Claire moved and lowered Alice back down. She got out of the Hummer, climbed to the top of one of the dunes and looked around. She was half expecting to be surrounded by more Umbrella soldiers and was relieved to see nothing but a sea of sand and the shimmering waves of heat rising from it. Back in the Hummer, she tried the radio again for several minutes before giving up. She locked the Hummer and set the alarm then moved to the back with Alice. She made sure her weapons were within reach and ready to fire before lying down at Alice's side and closing her eyes, letting the pain medication carry her to oblivion.

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice jerked awake from the nightmare. It was the same nightmare that had tormented her for years. Claire was sleeping at her side. She couldn't remember how she got in the Hummer. She sat up and pain radiated through her body. She sucked in a breath and pulled the blanket aside, remembered finally going down when one of the Umbrella soldiers hit the back of her head then waking, face pressed into the dusty ground, to see one of the soldiers behind Claire. Remembered seeing his finger squeezing the trigger just as she managed to grab one of her fallen pistols and shoot him. Claire came back for her. Alice felt her heart constrict and a small smile play on her lips at the realization. She saw her bags, duster and her weapons, including her kukri knives, in a neat pile at her feet. Alice was surprised when she looked out the window and didn't see the rest of the convoy. She looked at Claire thinking that it shouldn't surprise her. She knew next to nothing about Claire but she did know that Claire would never endanger the convoy needlessly. Biting her lip at the pain moving caused, Alice pulled her bags closer and dressed in the last clothes remaining to her, briefly regretting that she was unconscious the one and only time Claire would undress her. It was almost dark and Alice wanted to look around outside to make sure they were safe. When she opened the door, the alarm started blaring.

"Damn it." Alice quickly closed the door but the alarm continued to scream.

She looked over at Claire who was starting to stir but she wasn't waking which immediately worried Alice. She saw the keys by Claire's head, grabbed them and shut off the alarm. Her brows wrinkling in concern, Alice gently shook Claire to wake her. When Claire rolled over to her back, Alice saw the blood soaking the front of her shirt. "Shit. Claire? Wake up."

Claire's eyes opened and her vision was filled with Alice's face inches from her own, peering at her in concern. Her mind, foggy from the pain medication, couldn't quite break the grip sleep had on her. "Alice?"

Alice lifted Claire's shirt, saw the bloodied bandage and hissed through her teeth. "Claire, you're bleeding. What happened?"

"One of those Umbrella guys got me before I got him. The bullet came out my back."

Alice removed the bandage, thoroughly cleaned the entry and exit points and wrapped a bandage around Claire's waist. She gave her more antibiotics but Claire refused to take the pain medication. "Are you hungry? Do you have any food?"

Claire pointed to a small box. "In there. When Alice moved to get the food from the box, it was obvious she was in pain. "Alice, how can you be up? You have four bullets in you."

Alice pulled out two cans of food and some bottled water. When she sat back down, she looked at Claire, sadness in her eyes. "I'm not like you, Claire. I'm not human anymore."

Claire sat up and leaned against the side of the Hummer. "What are you talking about?"

Alice lowered her head. She didn't want to have this conversation, didn't want to see the look of fear and disgust in Claire's eyes.

"Alice?"

Alice took a deep breath. "I worked for Umbrella. I was the head of security at a secret underground facility in Raccoon City. It all started there…in the Hive." Alice told Claire about what happened in the Hive, her fight to escape only to be captured by Umbrella and injected with the T-virus. She didn't mention Rain or Matt, couldn't bear to tell anyone how she had failed them. She told Claire about waking up in the hospital to find the city in ruins and the undead filling the streets, told her about meeting Jill, Carlos, L.J. and Angie and their struggle to escape the city before it was destroyed.

"I died, Claire. Umbrella recovered my body. I don't know what they did to me. I don't know how I can be alive. Jill and Carlos got me away from them. The things I can do…the powers; they started manifesting after that. My body, my DNA bonded with the virus. It changed me. I found out that Umbrella had implanted a chip in my brain. They can track me with their satellites when I use the powers. I left Carlos and the others to keep them safe. I've been alone since then, avoiding the satellites, always moving. I'm a monster, Claire. Umbrella turned me into a monster and they want me back. Or dead. No one around me is safe. The bonus is that I heal quickly. I just need a few days to regain my strength then I'll leave." Alice couldn't look at Claire's face, couldn't stand to see the rejection in her eyes. She lowered her head and waited for Claire's reaction.

Claire tentatively reached out her hand and laid it on top of Alice's hand which was resting on her leg. "Alice, you're not a monster. The things you can do frighten me but you don't frighten me…not anymore. A monster would not have saved the convoy twice in two days. You didn't have to warn us, didn't have to stay behind to protect us, but, you did. You did it knowing what Umbrella would do to you if they caught you. Alice?"

Alice lifted her head to meet Claire's eyes. She didn't see rejection, fear or any of the other things she expected.

"Alice, would you consider staying with the convoy? We need you and it might be good for you to be around people again." Claire's face lit up with a mischievous grin. "You really should work on your social skills and with this whole destruction of civilization thing; you would have to look for a while to find a group of survivors as large as us."

Alice knew she should leave to keep Claire and the convoy safe from Umbrella and she probably would have if not for the pull she felt toward Claire. "My social skills are perfectly functional as long as people do what I say and leave me alone." Alice smiled, the lines around her eyes crinkling just as Claire had imagined. "Thank you, Claire. I would like to stay with you…and the convoy for a while."

Claire moved her hand, leaving Alice's fingers tingling from her touch. "This L.J. you met in Raccoon City… did he carry a gold plated desert eagle?"

"He's with you? When you told me Carlos was part of the convoy, I assumed he was alone when he joined. L.J. had a pair of eagles. Always called them his babies."

"He lost one about 2 years ago…nearly broke his heart." Alice laughed and Claire's heart responded by thumping a little harder until she saw Alice stiffen in pain when she leaned back.

"Alice, are you sure you're okay? I mean, you do have bullets inside you. Even if you heal fast, shouldn't they be removed?"

"Yeah, they should." Alice kicked her bags. "I have what I need in there. I should do it tomorrow morning before they heal completely."

"You should do it?"

"I've been alone for a long time, Claire. I've had to do it for years. There was no one else. At least these are all in the front…should be able to get to them easy enough."

Claire stared at Alice and imagined how lonely she must have been over the past five years; always alone, no one to care for her when she was injured and no one who gave a shit if she lived or died. "I can do it. I mean, if you tell me what to do then I can do it."

"Claire, you don't have to…."

"I want to help you, Alice…repay you for what you've done for us."

"You don't owe me anything, Claire."

"I believe that I do but, Alice, even if I didn't, I would want to help you."

Alice nodded. "You have helped me. You came back for me. That…it means a lot." Alice wanted to pull Claire into her arms, had to fight to resist the urge. "Where are the others?"

Claire told Alice about the town she wanted to raid and about sending the others ahead when she came back to get Alice. They would leave tomorrow morning to meet up with them and, hopefully, find some supplies and fuel.

TTTTTTTTTT

The next morning, Claire helped Alice remove the bullets. Claire, who had hardened herself to pain, hers and others, was weak in the knees at the pain she was causing Alice. Alice didn't make a sound, just suffered stoically until it was over. When Claire finished, Alice was pale, had a layer of sweat covering her skin and was trembling. Claire helped her back into the Hummer to lie down, gave her water and antibiotics and sat with her until the trembling stopped. Alice clutched Claire's hand for several long minutes before taking a deep breath and relaxing.

Alice was breathing more evenly, no longer panting from pain. "Thank you, Claire. It would have taken me much longer to do that alone."

Trying to keep her tone light but meaning every word, Claire said, "Well, stick with me and you won't have to do it alone ever again. Even better, try harder to avoid the bullets next time."

Alice raised an eyebrow and smirked at Claire. "So I shouldn't stand in front of the bad men with guns anymore?"

"That's a good start smartass." Claire met Alice's eyes and she couldn't look away for several seconds. "Alice, what happens when you do those things you can do…those power things?"

"It drains me, leaves me exhausted. I've had nosebleeds before but never collapsed. The effects depend on how much I push myself, how much energy I expend. I don't really know why it happens though."

"Is that what happened yesterday? Did you use too much energy creating that dust storm to hide the convoy? That's why the Umbrella thugs were able to hurt you, isn't it?"

Alice shrugged off the question. She was not some kind of hero, just a monster trying to be less monstrous. "Nah, I just stood in front of them for too long. I'll take your advice from now on and try harder to avoid the bullets." She picked up her shirt, pulled it over her head and tried to divert the conversation to anything else. "We should get going. Your convoy will be worried about you. You can tell me about them while we drive."

Claire knew Alice was right; they would be worried about her. She wanted to get back to them, to K, but part of her wanted just a little more time alone with Alice. Reluctantly, Claire moved to the driver's seat and Alice to the passenger seat.

"Alice, put on your seatbelt."

Alice looked at Claire incredulously. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, I am not kidding. The vehicle is not moving until your seatbelt is buckled."

Alice shook her head, smiled and buckled her seatbelt. "As you wish."

Claire laughed. "The Princess Bride. I love that movie."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** When I started this, it was meant to be a quick one-shot. Now, I think it just has to be told because it won't get out of my head. I don't know how frequently I will update since my focus is really on Mass Effect right now but I will try to update at least every few weeks.

This is set during the Extinction timeline but will only loosely follow the plot.

Anything in italics is a thought, memory, dream...you get the picture.

I'm just borrowing the Resident Evil universe for my story.

The Fire in Your Eyes- Chapter 5

Alice stared out the Hummer's window, her eyes unfocused and her thoughts filled with all that had happened since she stumbled on Claire and her convoy just three days ago. So much had changed for her in that short time. She was being selfish, putting Claire and the convoy at risk because she wanted to learn more about the woman sitting beside her. Claire was attractive but that alone would not have captured Alice's attention so completely. There were a thousand adjectives Alice could use to describe Claire, a thousand words that wouldn't begin to define the reason Alice felt compelled to be near her. It was undefinable, indescribable and totally out of Alice's realm of experience. She found herself wanting to reach out and touch Claire, pull her into her arms and press their lips together. She wouldn't do it; she would think about it, dream about it but she wouldn't do it. Alice rested her head against the glass as the barren, brown landscape, seemingly endless, passed in a blur. She turned to the left and let her eyes rest on Claire briefly before leaning back against the headrest and closing her eyes. Claire had finally been able to reach the convoy. They had stopped outside the town Claire wanted to raid to wait for her just as she had asked. Alice wanted to see L.J. and Carlos but she wasn't looking forward to being around the rest of the convoy, didn't want to deal with the fear and suspicion she would feel from them. She couldn't blame them but that didn't make it easier.

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire kept her eyes ahead, focused on the road while her mind pondered Alice. She was infected with the T-virus. Would her blood infect others? Claire needed to know but didn't want to ask because she knew it would hurt Alice. If the answer was yes, it wouldn't change anything for Claire. It would just mean that they would need to take precautions. Claire spared a quick glance at Alice. She was staring out the window with a lost look on her face. She had barely said anything since they contacted the convoy. _She's worried about the convoy, worried about how they will react to her presence. _Claire would like to think that the convoy members would welcome Alice. She had saved their lives twice and still, there would be a few who wouldn't want her around. They would make life in camp very uncomfortable for Alice. Claire was surprised at how protective she felt toward this stranger whose mere presence had her stomach churning. She couldn't quite figure out what it was about Alice that made her feel this way. Maybe it was the fact that Alice was damaged and hurting but, then, anyone left after all that had been lost was damaged in some way. She just knew that she wanted to see Alice smile, a genuine smile that not only curved her lips but danced in her eyes.

Claire pulled to the side of the road and laughed to herself as she did so. She could just as easily have stopped in the middle of the road. Alice lifted her head thinking they had reached the convoy and looked at Claire.

"We'll be there soon."

"Having second thoughts about me?"

Claire looked at Alice, whose face was blank, impassive. She softened her tone, hoping to lessen the blow of her question. "No, I want you to travel with the convoy. I do need to ask you something though. You have the T-virus in you, bonded with your blood or DNA. Could you pass the virus to someone else?"

Alice turned from Claire and stared out the window. "No. When the virus bonded with me, it didn't just change me. The virus changed too. I can't infect anyone."

Relief washed through Claire. At least the troublemakers in the convoy couldn't hold that against Alice. "You know, not everyone will be happy about you traveling with us. I think most will be okay if you give them a chance to get to know you but, there will be some…"

"I know. There are always some who would rather kill me than have me near them. I expect it and I'm rarely disappointed. You must be one of the rare exceptions. But, Claire, don't worry. I won't cause trouble for you and the convoy. I will do my best to avoid people and if it gets too bad, I'll leave."

Claire felt her heart tighten at the thought of Alice leaving. "I'm not worried about you causing trouble, Alice." Claire could picture Alice getting frustrated and just walking out of camp one day, just leaving without a word. She had been alone too long to worry about telling someone else her plans. "And I don't want you to leave. If you do decide to go, will you at least tell me so I can change your mind? I don't want to wake one day to find you gone, knowing I'll never see you again."

Alice nodded her head then turned away from Claire. "Alice?"

"The stuff I told you about Umbrella, about myself; I've never told anyone until you. Carlos and L.J. know some, things they pieced together when I was with them. They know I was infected with the T-virus, know that I died and that Umbrella did something to me after we escaped Raccoon City. I never talked about it with them. I don't want them to know. I don't want anyone to know."

Claire, saddened by the look on Alice's face and the defeated tone in her voice, wanted to do something or say something to let Alice know that she wasn't alone anymore. "Thank you for trusting me. I agree with Carlos; it's not my place to tell your story. If anyone finds out, it will be because you choose to tell them. And, Alice, you're not alone anymore. I'm here if you need me…need anything."

"Thanks." Alice took a deep breath. "You're definitely one of those rare exceptions, Claire Redfield."

"You know, I don't even know your last name."

_Neither do I, _thought Alice, _just the one Umbrella gave me. _"Abernathy."

Claire reached across the space between them and held her hand out to Alice. "Pleased to meet you, Alice Abernathy."

Alice took Claire's hand, enjoying the tingle Claire's touch sent up her arm. "Trust me, you'll change your mind soon enough. Now, tell me more about K-mart. She's important to you, isn't she?"

Claire pulled her hand back and started the Hummer "She is the most important thing to me, the only thing that motivates me to get up some days. She was just a kid when I found her. She was alone, her entire family dead. She's like a daughter to me. I'd be lost without her. She was so pissed when you left before she could meet you. I think you should prepare yourself for a 16 year old with a bad case of hero worship."

"I'm no hero, Claire."

"Yeah, well, I happen to think you are and it will be an exercise in futility if you try convincing K-mart that you're not."

Alice rolled her eyes and laid her head back against the seat wondering what the hell she was thinking when she agreed to stay with the convoy.

TTTTTTTTTT

They were no more than five minutes away from the convoy when K-mart's frantic voice came screaming over the radio. The convoy was being attacked by what K-mart described as the undead population of the whole fucking town. Claire's foot pressed the accelerator to the floor while Alice climbed to the back to ready their weapons. When they approached the convoy, it was chaos. Without the bus, there wasn't much protection for anyone in the back of the trucks. Claire saw Chase and Mikey on one of the trucks, holding off dozens of the undead. Carlos and L.J. were on the other truck doing the same. Before Claire even stopped the Hummer, Alice opened the door and jumped out. She landed and rolled back to her feet in one graceful motion. Claire turned the Hummer into a weapon and ran over as many as she could before coming to a stop by Carlos' truck. She could see K-mart's blonde head through the mass of undead bodies hanging off the truck. Rage filled her as she jumped from the Hummer and started firing at them. As one, they turned and, realizing Claire was more accessible prey, forgot about K-mart. She scrambled to the top of the Hummer and unslung her rifle from her shoulder. One by one, the undead fell to the ground as Claire blew their heads apart. All too soon, they were at the Hummer, reaching for her. They were climbing the hood and would soon be on top of her. She looked behind her to find that she had attracted undead from the other truck. She was surrounded. She considered attempting to jump over their heads but knew she would never make it. She kept firing at the ones climbing to the hood. She had a small hope that she might be able to survive long enough for someone to help her if she didn't run out of ammo. Her attention was on the front of the vehicle so she didn't see the undead that had managed to climb the back of the Hummer until K-mart screamed her name.

TTTTTTTTTT

When Alice jumped from the Hummer, pistols in hand, she ran toward the nearest truck, firing with deadly accuracy. Dodging grasping hands, Alice thinned the mob to a number more manageable for the men in the truck. She turned her attention to the second truck and saw the Hummer disappear on the other side. Walking forward, she reloaded, killing undead with every shot. Carlos and L.J. doubled their efforts when they saw Alice. Just as she pulled her blades from her back, she heard someone scream Claire's name. In seconds, she was on the other side of the truck. Her heart started pounding when she saw Claire on top of the Hummer, undead climbing to the top on all sides. Her focus narrowed, all the noise faded until Alice was left in silence. She ran for the Hummer as fast as her monstrous legs would carry her. Five feet from the Hummer, Alice pushed off the ground and jumped to the top of the Hummer taking the heads off the two undead who had just completed their climb. She was a blur of motion, blood flying from her knives as she swung them relentlessly, bones crunching under the heels of her boots as she kicked the undead off the Hummer. Alice refused to let any of them get near Claire who was busy taking out anything that managed to get on the hood of the Hummer. Claire kept glancing to K-mart, reassuring herself that she was still safe. She heard a grunt from Alice and turned to see her being pulled down by an undead who was once a cop of some sort if his tattered uniform was any indication. Claire grabbed Alice's arm as she was about to go over the side of the Hummer, raised her gun and killed the former cop. It felt like her heart was trying climb out of the throat as she pulled Alice back to safety. Alice pushed Claire to the side as another undead made it to the top of the Hummer. Standing back to back they cleared the area around the Hummer minutes later. Claire felt a little unsteady as the adrenaline that had sustained her left her body, leaving her shaking and weak. Alice could feel Claire sliding down her back as her knees buckled.

Alice grabbed Claire's arm, her hand shaking as she pulled her close to her. "Claire, are you okay? Where's K-mart?"

"I'm fine. K-mart is okay. She's in the truck."

Alice saw blood on the front of Claire's shirt. "You're bleeding. You're not fine."

Without warning, Alice picked Claire up and jumped to the ground, landing at the passenger door of Carlos' truck. "We can get the rest if you want to check on K-mart." Alice was silently willing Claire to get in the damn truck knowing it was too dangerous for her to be fighting with the bullet wound open and bleeding again. It would be too easy for infected blood to get in the wound.

"No. She's safe now." Claire told K-mart to stay put then worked with Alice, Carlos, L.J., Chase and Mikey to get rid of the remaining undead. Alice didn't stray more than a few feet from Claire.

TTTTTTTTTT

They moved and set up camp further away from town and away from the stench of the decaying bodies. Alice had spent time with Carlos and L.J. as she worked with them to get the perimeter secured. As Claire watched, she noticed the way Carlos was looking at Alice and it set her on edge. She set it aside for later when she could find a few quiet moments to examine those feelings. As expected, K-mart had been Alice's shadow for most of the day, bombarding the poor woman with question after question. Everyone else seemed content to ignore Alice, unsure of her place in the convoy. Claire looked around for Alice but didn't see her. She wanted to find her, make sure she was doing okay among the convoy after so long alone. She had too many other things to worry about. One person was dead and another had been bitten. Claire would have to deal with him and it made her guts twist just thinking about it. Alice had offered to do it but Claire had refused. She was the leader of the convoy and it was her responsibility. Claire was furious that so many undead had been able to get to them without warning. Carlos, expecting Claire, had taken down the perimeter so they would be ready when she arrived. Carlos felt horrible and Claire let him. He should have never pulled the cameras until they were minutes from leaving. It was still early in the day but after the morning, Claire didn't want to enter the town until tomorrow. She looked around for K-mart and found her talking with Mikey. By the look on her face and her animated gestures, she was certain K was talking about Alice. Claire approached K-mart and Mikey, smiling when she heard the play by play of the action on top of the Hummer as K-mart enlightened Mikey about Alice's hero status.

"Hey, K, where's Alice?"

"She said she wanted to check the area and maybe the town."

"She was going in to the town?"

"Yeah, I think so. Don't worry Claire, nothing can hurt Alice."

"She can be hurt, K. She's not invincible. She can die just like the rest of us." Claire was swearing under her breath as she walked to the edge of camp to look back at the town.

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire aimed and pulled the trigger, tears standing in her eyes as Josh fell to the ground. He knew what had to be done and had accepted it. They all knew what they would become once they were infected and a quick death was preferable to becoming one of the undead. Carlos and Chase took over as Claire walked away, needing to find a place to be alone for just a few minutes. They would bury Josh at sunset and salvage what they could from the town tomorrow morning before leaving. Claire walked back to same spot she had visited four times in the past 2 hours, hoping to see Alice coming back to camp. Claire was worried and she was angry. Alice should never have left the camp without telling her but Alice had been alone too long to make a habit of checking in before deciding to do something. Half an hour later, Claire was still standing at the edge of camp. She was a heartbeat away from going to search for Alice when she saw a cloud of dust coming toward them. Squinting into the setting sun, she realized it was a motorcycle and had to be Alice. Minutes later, Alice rode up on a battered motorcycle laden with bags bursting at the seams.

The anger Claire felt was overshadowed by the relief at seeing Alice safe. Claire slid behind one of the trucks to stay out of sight. She wanted to see how the convoy would react to Alice if she was around. People were staring at Alice but no one approached her. Alice climbed off the bike and was searching the camp. Claire smiled thinking that maybe Alice was looking for her. Claire shook her head at her convoy. While no one was being hostile, they weren't being friendly either. She stepped from behind the truck and saw Carlos approach Alice. He looked in the bags, let out a whoop of excitement and picked Alice up in his arms before kissing her. Claire stopped in her tracks as a wave of jealousy swept through her. She felt slightly better when Alice pushed Carlos away. He was backing away from her with his hands raised in front of him. Claire continued across the camp until she reached Alice. She glared at Carlos which sent him retreating back to his truck.

"What have you got?"

Alice was pulling bags off the bike. "Mostly food. But your hunch was right. There are a lot of supplies left here. I know the food supply is practically gone…thought it would be nice if everyone could get enough to eat tonight after what happened this morning."

Claire looked around them. Everyone had gone back to whatever they were doing before Alice's arrival, giving the two women a wide berth. "It will. Thank you. Alice, I was worried about you. Why didn't you tell me you were leaving and why would you go alone?"

Alice opened her mouth to speak but thought better of what she was about to say. She closed her mouth and looked abashed. "I wasn't thinking. I told K-mart but she's not the leader of this convoy. I should have told you. I'm sorry Claire. I think you will need to be patient with me for a while. I'm not used to telling anyone what I'm doing or why I'm doing it. It won't happen again."

Claire was expecting a fight from Alice and was shocked to silence when she didn't get it. "I would appreciate that but, Alice; I really was just worried about you."

"I'm fine. There were a few stragglers left down there. I took care of the ones I saw but there could be more. Most places are still pretty stocked and we might want to check houses if things stay quiet…get as much as we can. If you still want a bus, we could grab one. I even saw a few Greyhounds. It would be more comfortable and more defensible but I don't know if the extra fuel would be worth it. We should be able to fill the tanker, stock up on pretty much everything."

"Claire." Claire turned to see Chase walking toward her. "We're ready. We should do this before it gets dark."

"Get everyone together, Chase. I'll be right there."

"What's up?"

"We need to bury Josh and Elaine. C'mon, I'll help you get these supplies to Otto." Claire lifted two of the large bags and slung them over her shoulders.

"I'm sorry Claire. Are you okay?"

"Sadly, I am okay. It shouldn't be this easy to shoot someone you've traveled with for two years in the head. It shouldn't be normal to do it and not be devastated by it. Do you ever wonder what we're becoming? I mean, in ten years, if any of us are left, will we even care about anybody else? Will we have become so numb to death and violence that it means nothing anymore?"

Alice laid her hand on Claire's arm. "Claire…"

"I'm okay…just full of dreadful thoughts after the day we've had today. Let's get this stuff to Otto."

Alice watched as Claire turned and walked away from her. She realized that being around people was much more complicated than she remembered as she grabbed the remaining bags and ran to catch up with Claire.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** When I started this, it was meant to be a quick one-shot. Now, I think it just has to be told because it won't get out of my head. I don't know how frequently I will update since my focus is really on Mass Effect right now but I will try to update at least every few weeks.

This is set during the Extinction timeline but will only loosely follow the plot.

Anything in italics is a thought, memory, dream...you get the picture.

I'm just borrowing the Resident Evil universe for my story.

The Fire in Your Eyes- Chapter 6

Claire walked through the camp making sure things were going smoothly. After burying Josh and Elaine, the convoy had settled back to their normal routine. Once Otto made the announcement that they would be having a veritable feast thanks to Alice, the mood in camp improved a great deal. Dinner had been lavish compared to their normal fare. Claire finished her normal nightly routine of checking in with everyone then called a meeting to discuss their plans for tomorrow. They were in the back of the transport truck Carlos normally drove. Carlos, L.J., Chase and a newer member of the convoy, Frank, were there. Frank had been with them for almost a year and had challenged Claire more often than she could count over decisions she had made. She thought he was an egotistical asshole but he was also a former Navy Seal and his input in these planning meetings had been invaluable. She had also invited Alice since she had actually been in the town and could provide them with needed information. The planning had gone well and Claire felt good about their strategy for picking the place clean. As they were breaking up for the night, Frank voiced his concerns about Alice being in the camp. He felt that she couldn't be trusted because she was too dangerous and an unknown. He didn't actually say it but he implied that she was not completely human…more like some sort of genetic mutant or monster. Claire looked to Alice at his words. She saw the pain Alice was trying hard to hide and it made her want to beat Frank until he shut his fucking mouth. Since starting the convoy, Claire had made a point of listening to everyone's concerns, ideas or those who just needed to vent. This time, however, she was finding it extremely difficult to allow Frank to continue. As Frank kept talking, he became more agitated with every word, insisting that he was not the only one that felt this way. Alice quietly got up and left the truck. Claire had reached her limit.

Claire raised her head and looked at Frank with deadly serious eyes. Her voice was calm, too calm if you knew her well. Carlos, L.J. and Chase knew Claire well and knew that she was okay when she yelled at you. It was when she was so angry that she was beyond yelling that made them nervous. "Frank, shut the fuck up."

"I'm part of this convoy and I have a right to voice my opinion."

Claire stood. "I'm the leader of this convoy and I have the right to tell you to shut the fuck up when I don't like your opinion. Alice is staying as long as she wants to stay. Personally, I hope she never leaves. If you don't like it, you're free to go your own way and take anyone else who feels the way you do with you. You should be able to get all the supplies you need in the town tomorrow."

Frank opened his mouth to respond but didn't have the chance before Claire grabbed a fistful of his shirt, pulled him to his feet and leaned toward him. Carlos, L.J. and Chase were now standing at her back, their rigid faces a warning to Frank that he better not even think about touching Claire.

"Don't say another fucking word to me about this, Frank. Alice is worth a thousand of you." She let go of his shirt and pushed him back. She could feel the anger radiating from him as he left the truck. She asked the three men with her to keep an eye on Frank for the next few days before turning to leave.

Carlos cleared his throat. "Claire, what if he wants to leave…take others with him?"

"If that's his decision, then let him go. Make sure the vehicles are secured. I don't want him leaving with one of them."

Chase rarely said much of anything and never wasted his time complaining about others. "I hope the bastard leaves. All he does is complain about everything. He's nothing but trouble."

L.J. very colorfully agreed and managed to get a small smile out of Claire before she jumped from the back of the truck.

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice left the truck and leaned against the side. She had known this would happen and was surprised that it had taken the entire day. Expecting it didn't mean that it didn't hurt. It made her want to run, get away from these people and go back to her solitary life. If not for Claire, she would leave. She pushed off the truck to get her things from the Hummer so she could find a place as far away from the others as possible. When she heard Claire speaking, she paused to listen. When Frank left the truck, Alice, smiling to herself at Claire's defense of her, made her way to the Hummer. K-mart's head shot up from the back seat when Alice opened the cargo door.

"Hey, K-mart, didn't mean to wake you. I just need to get my stuff."

"Aren't you sleeping in the Hummer? Where are you going? You're not leaving are you?"

"I'm not leaving. I just want to find a quiet spot for the night. See you in the morning."

Alice reached for the cargo door to close it. "Alice."

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're staying with us. Thank you for saving Claire's ass today."

"I don't think Claire likes it when you swear."

"Claire talks like a fucking sailor so she can't complain about me."

Alice smiled, starting to understand why K-mart meant so much to Claire. "And for the record, Claire saved my ass today too. Night, K-mart."

"Good night, Alice." K-mart settled back down wondered what had made Alice look so sad.

Alice slung her bags over the motorcycle she had taken from the town and pushed it to the very edge of the perimeter. It was as far away from the others as she could get and still be in the camp. She took a blanket from her bag, wrapped it around herself, leaned back against her bags and stared at the billions of stars dotting the night sky. Feeling the loneliness that had been her constant companion for years squeeze her heart, she closed her eyes and thought about Claire Redfield and the things she said to Frank.

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire left the truck and went straight to the Hummer to find Alice. As she approached, she noticed the motorcycle was missing. She opened the Hummer's cargo door and saw that Alice's bags were missing. _If she left, I'll fucking kill you, Frank. _

"K, you awake? K-mart?"

"Claire? What's wrong?"

Claire's voice was shaky when she spoke. "Have you seen Alice?"

"She came by to get her stuff. She said she wanted to find a quiet spot for the night."

"What else did she say? Was she upset?"

"She looked sad." K-mart was not used to seeing Claire on edge like this. She realized that Claire was afraid Alice had left. "I asked her if she was leaving. She said that she wasn't and would see me in the morning."

"Okay, good. Go back to sleep, K."

Claire closed the door and walked the perimeter of the camp until she saw Alice sitting alone, a worn blanket wrapped around her. Her pounding heart slowed now that she knew Alice was still with her.

"Alice."

"Hey, Claire. Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"I don't sleep much most nights. Mind if I join you?"

Alice patted the ground beside her. "The accommodations aren't much unless you're a sucker for a sky full of stars."

Claire sat down beside Alice and looked up at the sky. "You okay?"

"I'm fine Claire. You don't need to worry about my hurt feelings. You already have too many worries…probably why you don't sleep much."

"Frank's been trouble since he joined us. I told him to leave if he couldn't shut his fucking mouth. Honestly, I hope he does leave."

"I heard."

"Oh, you did?"

Alice couldn't keep the smile off her face. "I'm worth a thousand Franks, huh?"

Claire had butterflies flying around in her stomach. She felt like she was 14 years old again trying to tell Billy Jones that she liked him. "Yeah, you are. When I went back to the Hummer, I thought you were gone."

"I won't leave without telling you, Claire."

"Are you planning to leave?"

Alice had thought about leaving but she didn't plan on going anywhere as long as Claire wanted her to stay. "No, I have no plans to leave."

"Good. You know, you don't need to sleep out here. We can make room in the Hummer. It might be crowded but it's safer for you."

"It's probably best if I just stay here. You should go get some sleep. Tomorrow will be busy."

Claire wanted to stay with Alice but didn't really have a reason to delay going back to the Hummer. "See you in the morning."

"Good night, Claire. Thanks for defending me."

"Any time."

Alice felt her loneliness return as she watched Claire walk away from her isolated corner of camp.

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire climbed in the Hummer and closed the door as quietly as possible so she wouldn't wake K-mart again. She was exhausted after the past few days. She knew sleep wouldn't come quickly because her mind was filled with too many thoughts screaming for her attention, mostly concerning Alice. She had been terrified that Alice wouldn't be coming back when she went in to the town today, terrified that she would leave after the incident with Frank. The thought of Alice leaving squeezed Claire's heart and left her feeling nauseous. She told herself that it was because she wanted to help Alice find a place where she could belong, a place where she wouldn't have to be alone anymore. Sighing, Claire grabbed her blanket and pulled it over herself wondering if Alice was cold with only the thin, worn out blanket she was using. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind so she could sleep. She was almost successful. She had just started to drift off when she remembered the jealousy she felt earlier. It was obvious that Carlos was interested in Alice. Claire remembered the way Carlos was looking at Alice and then there was the kiss. There was no reason she should be jealous of Carlos kissing Alice. It wasn't like she had any sort of romantic interest in Carlos. Even if she was attracted to him, she had never been jealous a day in her life. _Shit! Am I interested in Alice? No, I've never been attracted to women. Shit. Okay, slow down Claire. I think Alice is attractive but that's not so unusual. I think Betty is attractive too. That doesn't mean anything. Of course Betty doesn't send my heart racing and I don't ache to be near her or have the urge to put my hands all over her when I am near her. Fuck. I'm attracted to Alice. Okay, I can deal with that. At least I know why I've been feeling all messed up. It's okay to be attracted to someone. I just have to keep it hidden and not let Alice find out. God, what would she think of me if she knew? _Claire's thoughts tumbled around in her head for the next few hours until her exhaustion finally won out.

TTTTTTTTTT

The next morning, despite only a couple of hours of sleep, Claire was awake before dawn. She looked back at K-mart, smiling at the sweet look on her face when she was sleeping. She pulled K-mart's blanket up and left the Hummer. The camp was quiet at this time of morning. Claire had always enjoyed this time alone before the others were awake, making demands of her. Today, she didn't want to be alone. She walked to Otto's truck, hoping he had put the coffee Alice found yesterday to good use. She could smell it before she reached the truck.

"Otto, I think I love you. That smells wonderful. Can I have a couple of cups?"

Otto took two cups and poured the coffee. "It does smell good, doesn't it? Brings back memories of before the world went to hell. I've got some of those little sugar packets."

"Give me a couple of those, too. Thanks Otto."

Claire took the coffee and sugar packets. She started walking through the camp hoping Alice liked coffee. Her face flushed slightly as she remembered her revelations from the night before. She could see Alice sitting in the same spot, looking out toward the town. Alice turned when she heard Claire approaching which made Claire nearly stumbled as Alice's face lit up in an amazing smile directed at her.

"I hope you like coffee."

Alice stood and took a cup from Claire. "I love it. Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me. You found it. I have sugar if you want it."

"Claire, you've discovered my weakness already." Alice dumped one of the sugars into the coffee and closed her eyes in bliss as she took a sip.

Claire bit her tongue to pull her thoughts back from wondering what it would feel like to reach out and wrap her arms around Alice. _It's okay, Claire. You're only thinking about it, not doing it. Shit, what if she can read minds. She can move things with her mind._

"Alice, can you read minds?"

"What?"

"You know, is that one of your powers?"

Alice smiled at Claire's discomfort and wondered what Claire had been thinking. "Why? What's in that mind of yours?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just, you know, curious about what you can do."

"Relax, Claire. I can't read minds and even if I could, I would never do that to you."

"Oh, I wasn't worried about that; I was just curious."

Alice smirked, wishing she knew what Claire had been thinking. They sat together in silence drinking their coffee until the rest of the convoy began to stir.

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire walked through the camp one last time before they left for their scavenging mission. Chase and several other men skilled with weapons would stay behind to protect most of the convoy. Claire and Alice would drive the Hummer in first to make sure the town still seemed quiet then Carlos and L.J. would follow in the two transport trucks. They were taking twenty people with them to help load the trucks. Once the transport trucks were full, they would return to camp and bring the tanker in to fill it. Thanks to Alice's recon yesterday, they knew where to go to find the most stuff. As Claire made her way back to the Hummer, she saw Frank climb to the back of one of the trucks and regretted that he hadn't decided to leave. When she reached the Hummer, K-mart hugged her, told her to stay safe and asked her to look for some new books and clothes. Claire hugged K-mart back and promised to look for the things K-mart wanted.

"K, while I'm gone, you need to stay inside the perimeter and be alert. Do you have the gun I gave you?"

"K-mart lifted her shirt to show Claire that she had the gun and the radio Claire insisted she have with her at all times."

"Good. See you soon."

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire and Alice did a complete circuit of the town, which, once upon a time, had been called Parson. They didn't find any undead. Claire radioed the Carlos and L.J. to meet them at the first location, the largest grocery store in town. In an hour they had cleaned it out and nearly filled the first truck. In addition to canned foods, they had grabbed batteries, books, liquor, bottled water, packaged foods that may or may not be edible and, much to Claire's delight, enough cigarettes to last for quite a long time. Claire sent L.J. back to camp to unload the truck then return to meet them at a surprisingly large outlet mall. All of them could use new clothes. Claire made a point of grabbing some things she knew K-mart would like before it was all loaded up. She also picked some things for herself and noticed that Alice was doing the same. In three hours they had filled both trucks with clothing, shoes and camping/survival gear. Once the trucks left to unload, Claire and Alice visited the local weapons store and loaded the Hummer with every last gun, knife, crossbow, arrow and piece of ammunition in the place. As they were driving to their next target, a pharmacy, Alice saw just what she had been looking for and asked Claire to stop. She got out of the Hummer and admired the motorcycle. It wasn't quite the same model as the one she destroyed the night before meeting the convoy but it was close. She turned to look back at Claire who was watching her with a smile on her face. She held her breath and tried to start it. On the third try, the engine came to life. She backed it up and pointed her new ride toward the Hummer to see Claire inside on the radio, her face twisted in anger.

"Claire, what's wrong?"

"It's Frank and his band of loyal troublemakers. They tried to take both trucks and leave with everything. I need to get back there. Can you go to the pharmacy and meet me back at camp?"

Alice didn't like that idea. "I'd feel better going with you."

"I'll be fine. We need the stuff from the pharmacy and after this crap with fucking Frank; we may not be able to get back here."

Alice wanted to go with Claire but she also wanted to respect her as the convoy leader. "Okay, give me the list. I'll be quick." Alice captured Claire's hand when she passed Betty's list to her. Claire looked up and felt lost in Alice's oh so blue eyes. "Claire, be careful with Frank. Guys like him react without thinking. He could hurt you. If he does that, I'll kill him."

Claire nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Alice turned, got on the motorcycle and left for the pharmacy. Claire watched her until she was out of sight then she drove back to camp, her hand still trembling from Alice's touch.

TTTTTTTTTT

Within minutes of Claire's arrival, she was able to calm tempers and take control of the convoy. She ordered men she trusted to guard the trucks and told everyone else to get back to what they were doing. She looked around for Frank but didn't see him. She searched the camp and still didn't see Frank. Finally, she walked to the edge of camp and looked out, hoping to see Alice on her way back to camp. A smile creased her face when her hope was answered. Alice was about halfway back to camp. Claire stood watching her get closer and her heart responded by beating faster. The quiet was suddenly broken when a gun shot rang out; less than a second later, Alice pitched sideways off her bike.

"Alice!"

Carlos and Chase caught Claire at the Hummer. She was on the radio telling Betty to follow her in the ambulance. Claire saw the two men approaching. "Claire, what happened?"

"Alice was just shot. I know it was Frank. Find him and bring him back here. Kill him if he leaves you no choice. The shot came from the east."

Claire started the Hummer and left the camp as fast as she could. She increased her speed once she was past the perimeter. Her hands were shaking and she was praying to a god she had never believed in that Alice would be okay.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** When I started this, it was meant to be a quick one-shot. Now, I think it just has to be told because it won't get out of my head. I don't know how frequently I will update since my focus is really on Mass Effect right now but I will try to update at least every few weeks.

This is set during the Extinction timeline but will only loosely follow the plot.

Anything in italics is a thought, memory, dream...you get the picture.

I'm just borrowing the Resident Evil universe for my story.

_**I want to say thanks to everyone for reading and to those who have left feedback/reviews; you have helped encourage and motivate me. I'm having a great time with this story.**_

The Fire in Your Eyes- Chapter 7

Claire could hear more gunshots as she sped towards Alice. She could see Alice just ahead of her, hunkered down behind the motorcycle. It was the only cover she had, the only cover to be found anywhere within 500 yards. She looked in the rearview mirror to see Betty sticking close to her.

Claire fumbled with the radio before managing to get it in her hand. "Betty, when I stop, I want you to back the ambulance in. The shots are coming from the east. We'll use the Hummer as cover. And keep your head down."

"Yeah, you keep your damn head down too, boss lady."

Claire stopped the Hummer beside Alice and crawled out the passenger door as Betty stopped the ambulance and started backing in beside the Hummer.

Claire heard a bullet impact the Hummer. "Alice!"

"Claire, what the hell are you doing? You're gonna get yourself killed." Alice grabbed Claire and pulled her down beside her causing pain to explode through her chest and arms.

Claire saw blood running down the front of Alice's shirt from a bullet wound just below her collarbone. There were smaller wounds all around it. She pulled a dirty bandana from her pocket and pressed it against the wound. "Is this the only one? Did he get you anywhere else?" Claire was running her hands over Alice, eyes searching for more wounds.

Alice fought back against the pain, pushing it down until she could safely deal with it. "That's the only one."

Claire turned to the ambulance, no more than two feet away from them, when Betty opened the back doors. "C'mon, let's get you out of here." She helped Alice get to her knees and dragged her to the ambulance. With Betty's help, they lifted Alice into the back where she collapsed on the floor.

Claire brushed her hand against Alice's face. "Help her Betty. I'll get us out of here."

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire stopped the ambulance and looked around the camp. She didn't know who she could trust; how many or which ones were involved in Frank's plan to steal the trucks. She hadn't had time to sort any of that out before she noticed Frank was missing and started searching for him. She saw several armed individuals, people she trusted, holding a small group of people by the tanker.

Claire turned to the back of the ambulance. Betty was examining the wound now that the bumpy ride was over. Alice was out cold which was probably for the best. Claire wanted to be near her but she had to make sure they would be safe first. "Betty?"

"I don't know what kind of ammo he's using but she's messed up. It's like it exploded on impact…little bits of shrapnel all through her chest and shoulder. It's not good Claire."

"Do your thing, Betty. She heals fast. She'll be fine. I need to find out if anybody else wants to try to take shots at us." Claire had to believe Alice would be fine.

From the corner of her eye, Claire saw movement to the left. K-mart was running towards the ambulance. Claire opened the door and got out just as K-mart threw herself in her arms.

"Claire, are you okay? What the fuck is happening? They said that Frank shot Alice. Is she okay?"

"K, watch the damn language." Claire wondered why K-mart had to test her now, in the middle of this chaos. Then she realized that it came as easily to them as breathing. K probably didn't even realize what she said and Claire definitely responded without thinking. Strangely, she felt her jangled nerves settle at the familiarity of the verbal exchange with K-mart.

"He did and she'll be fine. I need you to help me. Do you know who was trying to take the trucks, which ones were helping Frank? Did you see them?"

"Yeah, they're the ones by the tanker. That's all of them other than Frank. Mikey and L.J. rounded them up as soon as you left." Claire counted about 10 or 12 people.

Claire took a steadying breath. "Good. Now, I need you to go through the camping gear we picked up this morning. I want you to find a small tent and maybe a couple of sleeping bags. I think I heard Carlos say they found a stock of air mattresses. Grab one if you see it. Alice will need a place where she can be comfortable. And, K, Frank is still out there. You need to keep your eyes open and get out of sight if you see him. Stay near the trucks and come back here when you find everything."

K-mart nodded. "Will she be okay?"

Claire pulled K-mart into her arms. "Yeah, she will. Now go find the stuff she'll need. And look for a new blanket, something soft." K-mart took off at a run. "Be careful, K."

Claire looked back at the ambulance. She was biting her lip and wrinkling her brows, torn between checking on Alice and doing what she needed to do to keep everyone else safe. She pulled herself away from the ambulance and went to check in with L.J.

Claire glared at the men and women L.J. and Mikey were holding. Most of them had been with the convoy less than a year, a few of them had been traveling with Frank when they found him.

"Thanks for rounding up the trash."

L.J. swaggered over to Claire waving his remaining desert eagle at Frank's supporters. "They are a pathetic looking bunch, aren't they? What are we going to do with them?"

Claire shook her head. "I don't know yet. Where are the others?"

L.J. pointed to the north towards a rock formation. "We sent them over to those rocks…passed out the guns you took from those Umbrella pigs. K-mart refused to go. I swear I'm beginning to think she's spending way too much time with you. That girl gets more stubborn every day. I'm afraid I'll wake up one day and she'll look just like you."

Claire smirked at L.J., appreciating the fact that even in the worst situations, he could make her smile. "Well, my little clone to be is over in the trucks getting some stuff for me. Keep an eye on her. I need to find out what's happening with Carlos and Chase."

"Use the radio."

"Too dangerous if they're near Frank." Claire checked her pistols and realized that she had left her rifle in the Hummer. "Mikey, I'm taking your rifle from the van?"

"Hey, Claire, wait. That was my dad's rifle. You know I only use it on special occasions."

Claire raised an eyebrow at Mikey. "Yeah, I guess this could be considered a special occasion but you better bring it back in the same immaculate condition."

"Thanks Mikey."

TTTTTTTTTT

Before Claire even made it out of camp, Carlos and Chase came in pulling a hogtied Frank behind them. Claire felt a huge sense of relief that the bastard couldn't hurt anyone else. She asked them to keep him separated from the others and to try to figure out what they could do with them. She returned Mikey's rifle to him and asked him to go get the others and bring them back to camp. Feeling that things were back under control, she headed back to Alice.

Claire banged on the back doors of the ambulance to warn Betty before she pulled them open. "It's just me, Betty."

"Damn it, Claire. You scared the crap outta me."

"Sorry. How is she?" Claire climbed into the ambulance and moved towards the front, closer to Alice's head.

"She's fucking amazing…that's how she is. Her body is already healing. I gave her a strong sedative to keep her out so I could pick out this mess. At this rate, she'll be completely back to normal in a day or two." Betty stopped what she was doing and looked up at Claire. "What is she, Claire?"

Claire, not even realizing it, was running her fingers through Alice's hair. Betty couldn't help but notice the gentle look Claire had on her face when she looked at Alice. "She's a human being, Betty. She's not dangerous to us and she didn't deserve this. If you want to know anything about her past, you'll need to ask her. I would appreciate it if you would keep her healing abilities quiet. Everyone is already freaked out about the things they've seen her do."

"Hey, I'm not saying anything. I know we would have been dead days ago if she hadn't shown up." Betty went back to pulling shrapnel out of Alice and cleaning the wounds. Claire sat at Alice's head quietly contemplating the emotions that were raging inside her.

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire finished her walk through camp, happy to see that things were relatively calm considering the day they had just endured. Carlos and Chase had taken charge of Frank of his followers. Frank was tied to L.J.'s tow truck and the others were now being held in the back of one of the transport trucks. They would need to come up with a permanent solution for them tomorrow. They still needed to fill the tanker and find a bus. Someone had retrieved the Hummer and Alice's bike and brought them back to camp. K-mart had found everything Claire asked and set the tent up near the Hummer. With the air mattress and the sleeping bags K-mart had spread on top, Alice should be quite comfortable. They had moved her to the tent about an hour ago. K-mart had eagerly agreed to stay with her while Claire made her rounds. Claire picked up her pace as she walked back to the tent. When she crawled through the opening, she found K-mart talking to a still heavily sedated Alice, telling her the story of how Claire found her.

"Hey Claire, she's still sleeping."

"Thanks for staying with her, K."

"You like her, don't you?"

"Yeah, I like her. She saved our asses and she's an asset to the convoy."

K-mart shook her head. "No, Claire. I didn't ask if you were grateful that she saved us or how she will benefit the convoy. You like her…really like her, don't you?"

Claire looked down at Alice, her face softening. "Yes. I do like her…really like her. But, K, that is our secret and it will remain our secret, got it?"

K-mart threw her arms around Claire. "I'm glad. I'm going to bed. See you in the morning."

"Good night, K. Lock the doors and set the alarm. And remember…our secret."

Claire moved so K-mart could get out of the tent. She went to Alice's side and stretched out beside her. The air mattress filled the small tent and felt heavenly to Claire after sleeping in vehicles almost every night for years. She turned on her side facing Alice, admiring her strong profile. She reached over to move Alice's hair behind her perfectly shaped ear. _God, Claire. Knock it off. You're pathetic. Who looks at an ear and thinks it's perfect? But it is perfect. Her lips are perfect and, god, I want to kiss them. She's perfect and I'm acting like a love sick teenager. _Claire scooted a little closer and wrapped her hand around Alice's arm. For the first time in months, she quickly fell into a peaceful sleep.

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice opened her eyes and tried to blink away the haze obstructing her vision. Her head felt like it was filled with cotton and her chest ached. _Shit. What did they give me? _There was a weight pressing against her chest and someone's hair tickling her face. She smiled when she realized the weight on her was Claire. She was sound asleep with an arm and a leg thrown over Alice. It felt so right but Alice knew that Claire would be embarrassed and horrified when she woke up and found herself in this position. She slowed her breathing and kept herself as still as possible. She was going to enjoy this for as long as she could. She wished she could wrap her arms around Claire and hold her close but didn't want to wake the fearless convoy leader. _She risked her life for me again. For me. Being here like this, I almost feel human. _Alice sighed and closed her eyes, marveling at the things she felt for Claire. She felt like her emotions were growing too big to be contained inside her. They were like a brush fire, threatening to burn out of control, consuming everything in its path. She spent the hours until dawn awake and content to have Claire at her side.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** When I started this, it was meant to be a quick one-shot. Now, I think it just has to be told because it won't get out of my head. I don't know how frequently I will update since my focus is really on Mass Effect right now but I will try to update at least every few weeks.

This is set during the Extinction timeline but will only loosely follow the plot.

Anything in italics is a thought, memory, dream...you get the picture.

I'm just borrowing the Resident Evil universe for my story.

The Fire in Your Eyes- Chapter 8

Claire snuggled into Alice amazed at how good it felt. _Shit! What the fuck did I do?_ She opened an eye and was relieved to find that Alice was still sleeping, her breathing deep and even. Claire went completely still, not even taking a breath for fear of waking Alice before she could extricate herself from this awkward and embarrassing situation. She inched back slowly until she was on the edge of the air mattress, feeling both relief and regret at the loss of contact with Alice. She quietly left the tent and headed to L.J.'s tow truck to make sure Frank was still secured. She exchanged a few words with Tanya, the woman Carlos had assigned to act as a guard, before visiting Otto for two coffees and a sugar for Alice. Making her way back to the tent, Claire thought about all the things they needed to do before they could move on. She didn't like staying in one place for this long but she could at least be fairly certain that the area was clear of the undead. She ducked inside the tent, surprised to see Alice awake and pulling the bandages off her chest.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"It itches."

"I guess that's a good thing…means your body is doing that magic healing thing."

"It's not magic, Claire. It's monstrous." Alice lowered her head, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

Claire set the coffee to the side and sat beside Alice. "That's not true, Alice. In the few days I've known you, I've seen you do things that are beyond belief, things that scared me. But, when you did those things, it was for the right reason, it was to save people. Everyone in this camp would be dead if not for you. Honestly, I don't care how or why you can heal like superwoman; I'm just glad that you can."

Alice wanted to believe Claire's words were true but after so many years of being feared by everyone she met, so many years of living alone with nothing but her own dark thoughts to keep her company, she could only see herself as an inhuman monster. She fought to push down the pain, to hold back the tears that threatened. Before she met Claire, she was numb to the pain and her tears had been sucked dry by the desert around her. Now, the pain and self-hatred were clawing at her and the tears were just under the surface, ready to pour from her, unstoppable and relentless. It was all because of Claire; all because Alice cared about what Claire saw when she looked at her. She lifted her head to Claire, a single tear sliding down her cheek to betray her. Her eyes were captured by fiery green ones that seemed to penetrate every shield she had erected. When she felt Claire's hand on her face brushing away the traitorous tear, her heart started twitching wildly in her chest. She leaned closer to Claire, unable to stop the irresistible need to crush her lips against Claire's. She was so close, mere inches from reaching her goal when light flooded the tent.

"Hey, wh..." K-mart stopped, kicking herself for entering the tent right at that moment. She started backing out, mumbling about forgetting something.

Claire ran her fingers through her hair feeling like a kid caught under the bleachers stealing her first kiss. "Um…so, we caught Frank and the others. I'm not sure what we'll do with them yet. Luckily, no one else was hurt."

"You should give them enough supplies to last a couple of weeks and cut them loose. I wouldn't want them leaving ahead of us though…too easy for them to cause trouble." Alice was making herself very busy examining the small tent.

Claire picked up one of the now lukewarm coffees and the sugar. She passed it to Alice praying that their fingers wouldn't touch because that would be her undoing. "I brought you coffee." Alice accepted the coffee with a nod and found a sudden interest in the sugar packet. "Alice, why didn't use your powers when Frank was shooting at you? You could have stopped him."

Alice sipped her coffee and shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't want to get Umbrella's attention…better I take a bullet than do something that puts everyone in danger."

"For future reference, I don't agree with that and would prefer that no more bullets find a home in you."

Alice felt herself smile and wondered at Claire's ability to make her feel so at ease. "So, what do we need to do today? Fill the tanker and deal with Frank?"

"Yeah and find a new bus. You sure you should be up? Betty said you were pretty messed up?"

"I have magic healing, remember? And, thanks for coming for me."

"Actually, I just wanted that bike you found…thought I'd bring you back as long as I was there."

TTTTTTTTTT

K-mart was eating breakfast when Claire found her. After interrupting what looked like it was going to be one hell of a kiss between Claire and Alice, she had made herself scarce, worried Claire would be pissed at her timing. As she helped Otto get breakfast going, she had spent the better part of an hour remembering everything of her few seconds in the opening of the tent. Alice and Claire had looked so intense and K-mart had actually felt some weird pressure or electricity in the air. Their eyes were closed and their lips were almost touching…until she ruined the moment. K-mart was only ten years old when the T-virus decimated the world. Claire had found her, saved her life and given her a home. For K-mart, Claire Redfield was mother, father, teacher, protector, best friend and hero. They had been together six years now and knew each other inside and out. K-mart had been a little concerned about Claire for the past few months. She seemed more tired and less focused on the convoy and survival. Just in the few days Alice had been with them, K-mart noticed that the devious little sparkle had returned to Claire's eyes. Even in the midst of all that had happened to them since that crazy bird attack, Claire was back to her old self and K-mart had no doubts that it was all because of Alice. She had resumed eating her now cold oatmeal when Claire sat beside her.

"Please tell me why the girl who has to be dragged out of the back seat of the Hummer every morning was up before dawn."

K-mart relaxed at the tone in Claire's voice. "I woke up and wanted to check on Alice. She, uh, looked fine." K-mart looked around to make sure there was no one near enough to hear their conversation. "I'm sorry, Claire. I didn't know you'd be, you know, in the middle of…something. Did you kiss her?"

Claire shook her head, a thoughtful look on her face. "No, I didn't kiss her."

"Why the fuck not? I mean, you should have seen the two of you. I've never felt anything so intense."

K-mart apologized when Claire gave her the 'watch your damn language' look. "Sorry. You told me you like her. From what I saw, she definitely likes you. You should have kissed her."

"It's not that simple, K. I have a responsibility to the convoy, to you. I don't even know how long she plans to stay with us. It's probably good that you walked in before anything happened."

To K-mart, it was obvious that Claire was trying to convince herself that it was for the best and not doing a very good job. "Claire, just because you're the leader of this convoy, doesn't mean that you have to deny yourself something or someone that would make you happy. It really is that simple. Did the two of you even talk about it?"

"No, we didn't talk about it. Look, K, just forget it, okay. Alice will probably leave soon anyway." Claire took a deep breath and asked K-mart to organize people and start sorting through the clothes and other supplies they had taken from the dead town of Parson.

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice came back from her search for spare motorcycle parts to find Claire arguing with Carlos. Claire wanted to take one of the Greyhound busses for the extra security and comfort. Carlos thought it was ridiculous considering how much fuel it would burn. Alice stood to the side and watched Claire, who was standing with her hands on her hips and her head cocked to the side. She looked like she would rather hit Carlos than listen to him. Alice smiled remembering Claire's body sprawled half atop her when she woke up early this morning. She decided that it was worth repeating and after their almost kiss; she was relatively certain that Claire would be willing. Alice was jerked back to the present when she heard Chase suggest to Claire they take another tanker and stop bickering about fuel. Carlos and Chase would check out the busses, pick the one most likely to survive the longest and strip the others of parts. Two hours later, they drove the bus and one newly filled tanker back to camp. The rest of the day was spent filling the other tanker, storing supplies in the back of the transport trucks and handing out clothes and bedding to everyone. Carlos had found a couple of old horse trailers and hauled them back to camp. Frank and his little group had been moved inside and securely tied. Alice made another trip in to town and came back with six generators and several large bags which she would not comment on to anyone. Claire had also asked K-mart to set aside supplies for Frank and his supporters. She didn't know exactly how it was going to work but she would take Alice's advice and send them on their way with enough supplies to last a couple of weeks. The camp was hectic until Otto called a stop for dinner. Claire was one of the last to grab a plate. She looked for both K-mart and Alice but didn't see either of them. That made her nervous. She walked through the camp then checked the Hummer. As she approached the Hummer, she noticed a soft light glowing in the tent and heard mumbled voices inside.

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice shoved the batteries into the small lantern K-mart had brought her and was relieved when she turned the switch and soft light filled the tent. She was surprised when the teen had asked to speak with her in private. They had picked up dinner and decided that the tent might be the most privacy they could hope for without going past the perimeter. K-mart seemed nervous and Alice tried to make her feel more comfortable.

"Do you like movies, K-mart?"

"Sure, but the only ones I remember are kid movies. I was too young to see good movies before the world got fucked."

Alice, unlike Claire, could easily ignore K-mart's language. "After I got the generators, I stopped by the one and only video store in the town of Parson. I grabbed lots of movies and all we need to be able to watch. It's not something we can do all the time, but maybe every few weeks. Do you think Claire will mind?"

"No, she told me that she loves movies and used to watch them all the time. Thanks Alice." K-mart bit her bottom lip for courage. "Alice, I didn't mean to interrupt this morning. Claire really likes you, you know."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that out this morning."

"The thing is Claire is responsible and cautious. She feels her responsibility is to the convoy. She doesn't think of her responsibility to herself. And she's afraid you'll leave. I think she's afraid of being hurt if that happens. Do you plan on leaving, Alice?"

Alice looked into K-mart's eyes. "No, I don't plan to leave. You know what I'm afraid of, K-mart?" K-mart shook her head and kept her eyes locked on Alice's. "I'm afraid Claire will ask me to leave."

"For being so damn smart, the two of you are really stupid. Did it ever cross your minds to talk to each other?"

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire backed away from the tent and quietly left. She was tempted to listen to the conversation inside the tent but wouldn't betray the trust of K-mart or Alice by listening to a conversation they obviously wanted to be private. After eating, she found Carlos, Chase and L.J. to ask them to meet her at the Hummer in 15 minutes. Before she made it to the tent, she met Alice and K-mart who were taking their dinner dishes back to Otto. When Claire asked Alice to join the meeting, K-mart took the plates and left the two women alone. They walked to the Hummer to wait for the others who showed up within minutes. After looking over maps, they finally decided on a destination then turned the conversation to Frank. Several ideas and an hour later, Alice spoke up.

"I'll stay behind when the convoy leaves. I'll wait a couple of days then cut them loose. They have supplies. They can easily walk to Parson to find vehicles. That will give you enough time to get far enough ahead of them that they won't be able to catch up to you since they don't know where you're going." Alice looked over one of the maps and found a national park that was on the way to their next stop. She pointed it out and told them that she would meet them there. It was the best idea they had and Claire hated it. She forced them to review the other options again but in the end agreed to Alice's plan.

Once the meeting ended, Claire did her nightly walk through camp while Alice went to pack enough supplies for herself to get her through the next week. She also checked the motorcycle and was surprised to learn that Frank hadn't done any real damage to it. She would use it to meet up with Claire and the others. She went inside the tent and packed the new clothes she had picked up then checked her weapons. For lack of anything else to do, she stretched out on the air mattress, sighing in relief at how good it felt.

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire finished her rounds and checked in with K-mart who had just climbed into the back seat of the Hummer. "Hey, K. I'll be with Alice. I need to make sure she has everything she needs and knows where to find us. See you in the morning."

"Yeah, well, don't be coming back here in the middle of the night waking me up, okay? You can stay in the tent with Alice again tonight. I liked having the Hummer to myself last night." K-mart smirked at Claire's raised eyebrow. "Night, Claire."

_God, L.J. is right. That sounded just like me and it's scary._ Claire walked the ten steps separating the Hummer from the tent and called to Alice.

Alice sat up and took a deep breath. "C'mon in Claire."

"You have everything you need?"

"Yep, I'm good. I'll use the motorcycle so I'm packing light…just enough stuff to get me through until I meet up with you."

"I don't really like this plan. I think someone should stay behind with you."

"I can get back to you quicker on my own. I won't have any problems with them." At the look on Claire's face, Alice added, "But, if it would really make you feel better, you can ask someone else to stay. We can use the other bike."

Smiling, Claire sat next to Alice. "Honestly, I would only feel better if I was staying and I can't do that. They depend on me."

"No, you can't."

"I'll be waiting for you."

"Then I'll need to hurry."

Claire tentatively reached her hand over and laid it on Alice's leg. "K-mart kicked me out of the Hummer for the night. Can I stay with you?"

"K-mart is smarter than both of us and reminded me of that tonight. You can stay but there's a condition." Claire raised her eyebrows in question. "You have to sleep just like you slept last night."

Claire's face lost all color then turned red. "Shit! You were awake? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I was being selfish; I didn't want you to move and I didn't want to embarrass you." Alice lay back on the mattress and patted the space beside her.

Claire waited for about half a second before settling down beside Alice. Slowly overcoming her nervousness, she moved closer. In the end, she put her head on Alice's shoulder and threw her arm over her stomach. Claire couldn't remember anything in her life feeling so good or so right.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** When I started this, it was meant to be a quick one-shot. Now, I think it just has to be told because it won't get out of my head. I don't know how frequently I will update since my focus is really on Mass Effect right now but I will try to update at least every few weeks.

This is set during the Extinction timeline but will only loosely follow the plot.

Anything in italics is a thought, memory, dream...you get the picture.

I'm just borrowing the Resident Evil universe for my story.

The Fire in Your Eyes- Chapter 9

Alice felt...happy. It had been so long since she had felt anything remotely resembling happiness that it took her by surprise. She looked down at Claire who was snuggled up against her side. They barely knew each other, had only met a week ago but her body had no notion of time nor did it care. Claire felt good pressed against her…more than good. While her body didn't concern itself with things such as time or the implications of what this could mean, her mind was filled with questions, doubts and fears. Was Claire's attraction to her purely physical or was there more? For her, it was much more. The physical attraction was undeniably there but she also wanted to protect Claire, wanted to make her smile, was happy to just be near her and talk to her. Alice wanted to learn everything there was to learn about Claire Redfield. What if Claire didn't want anything beyond a physical relationship? Alice shook her head knowing that it was more than physical for Claire. She had shown that repeatedly since they had met. Alice sighed, resigned to leave her questions unanswered for the moment. K-mart was right. They did need to talk and soon. They would have time once Frank was no longer a threat. When Alice returned to the convoy, she would somehow manage to inflate her courage and broach the subject with Claire who seemed just as reticent as her to discuss their feelings for each other. Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind so she could just enjoy the feel of the body beside her, Alice laid her cheek against Claire's head and closed her eyes.

TTTTTTTTTT

The convoy was packed up and ready to move out. K-mart, looking shy, gave Alice a hug and wished her luck before getting in the Hummer to wait for Claire. Alice smiled as she watched the teen disappear into the vehicle then turned her attention to Claire.

"I'll see you in a few days."

"Do you have everything you need? Sure you don't want to keep the tent?"

"I want to travel as light as possible but I will miss that air mattress. I have enough food and water for a week but it shouldn't be more than three or four days before I catch up to you."

Claire nodded and cleared her throat. "I, uh, had Carlos mount a long range radio to your bike and I put one of our hand held short range radios in your bags with a sort of contact schedule. If anything goes wrong, we'll come back for you."

Alice was touched by Claire's gesture and the adorable bout of nervousness she seemed to be battling. She nodded her head and swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "Thanks."

Claire brushed a lock of hair behind Alice's ear. "Be careful and don't forget that I'll be waiting for you."

Alice leaned in to Claire's touch. "I'll be there as soon as possible. Stay safe."

Alice watched the convoy as they exited the camp, her eyes pinned to the yellow Hummer in the lead. She stood motionless, eyes following their movement until the last vehicle was out of sight.

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire was not the least bit happy about leaving Alice behind to deal with Frank and was cursing herself for agreeing to it. It had crossed her mind more than once to turn around. If she killed Frank the problem would be solved. She could feel her features twisting into a scowl when she thought about him. The bastard deserved to die anyway.

K-mart glanced at Claire to see an angry grimace cross her face. She had barely said anything since they left the camp nearly five hours ago. K-mart knew that she was probably regretting the fact that she hadn't just killed Frank.

"Um, Claire. Do you want to talk about it?"

"What? Talk about what, K?"

"Whatever it is that's putting that look on your face. Are you worried about Alice?"

"I should have killed Frank. He's dangerous. He almost killed her. I mean, what the fuck was I thinking when I agreed to let her stay there alone with him? What if he gets free while she's sleeping? He could easily kill her."

"Claire, slow down. He won't get free. Chase tied those knots. Alice will be fine. She spent how many years alone. She can take care of herself plus she has fuckin' magic powers."

Claire looked sideways at K-mart but didn't comment on her language.

"She could wipe out Frank and his little buddies with just a thought."

"She won't do that, K. Umbrella can track her when she uses her powers. That's how they knew where to find her after she saved us from the birds. And that's why she didn't use them to protect herself from Frank. She didn't want to endanger the convoy."

"We could use the radio, check in with her."

Claire nodded. "We will. I set up a schedule." Claire looked at the Hummer's clock. "First check in is in one hour and ten minutes."

K-mart smiled thinking that no one but Claire would have a schedule for contacting someone. "Claire, what would happen if you picked up the radio right now and contacted Alice? You know, it might make you feel better. Is there some 'Claire rule' that says you can't check in between scheduled check in times?"

Claire laughed before reaching for the radio.

TTTTTTTTTT

An Umbrella guard entered the room, nerves on edge at the thought of being in Dr. Isaacs lab. He looked at the secured corner of the room where several undead were calmly pacing the small space. Moving further into the room, the guard approached Dr. Isaacs. "Sir, the convoy has left Parson. They're moving north. Project Alice is not with them."

"She stayed in Parson?"

"Yes, sir. There was some trouble with one of the convoy members. From what we've been able to learn from satellite intel and monitoring their radio transmissions, Project Alice plans on dealing with this man then catching up with the convoy in a few days." The guard nervously shifted from foot to foot when his report was met with silence. "Sir, should we attempt to recover Project Alice?"

"What about this Redfield woman? Have you been able to determine anything about her or her relationship with Alice?" Dr. Isaacs was furious when the team he deployed to terminate Alice had not returned. Their only job was to kill her and bring him her body so he could harvest her DNA and they had failed. From satellite surveillance and facial scanning software, Umbrella had determined that the woman who had rescued Alice was Claire Redfield. The two had rejoined the convoy at the small town of Parson. Umbrella had been monitoring them since that time. Perhaps, thought Isaacs, it would be best to go after Alice indirectly since all direct attacks had been unsuccessful.

"She is the convoy's leader. It seems that Project Alice has formed some sort of relationship with her."

"Good, that works to our advantage. I want you to go after Claire Redfield. Do not kill her. She will serve as bait to lure Alice back to us. When you take her, do so with as little bloodshed as possible to the rest of the convoy. We may have need of lab rats once I have successfully bonded Alice's DNA with the new T-virus strain."

"Understood, sir." The guard breathed a sigh of relief as he turned on his heel and left the lab.

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice remounted the radio to her motorcycle and moved closer to the fire. Just hearing the convoy leader's voice had sent her heart racing and relieved the nagging worry she had been harboring all day. Claire sounded just as relieved to hear that she had spent an uneventful day playing babysitter. She had passed water and food out to Frank and his followers before Claire contacted and hoped to have no other interaction with them until the morning. She had spent the time since the convoy left caring for her weapons and her newly acquired motorcycle. She had also been reading a book, something she hadn't done in years. After the convoy left, Alice had gone to her bags to retrieve the radio Claire left for her and found the book and a new blanket stacked neatly on top of the bags. Claire had obviously noticed the condition of her current blanket. Alice smiled again just thinking about it and pulled the blanker tighter around her shoulders. _I just need to get through tonight and tomorrow night then I can leave and catch up to her. I should be back with the convoy 48 hours from now. _Alice sat by the fire for several hours contemplating Claire and her place in Claire's life before checking the area once more. She returned to her camp, wrapped herself in the blanket and breathing in Claire's lingering scent as she fell asleep.

TTTTTTTTTT

"K-mart! Wake up."

K-mart opened her sleepy eyes and started to protest when a hand was clamped over her mouth. She looked up to see Claire hovering over her, eyes filled with fear. K-mart could hear screaming all around the Hummer. "Don't make any noise. It's Umbrella. I'm going to open the driver side door. When I do, I want you to slide out and roll under the Hummer." Claire shoved something in K-mart's hand. "Here's a gun and a blanket. When you get under there, lay flat and pull the blanket over yourself. Don't you dare come out until they're gone. No matter what happens, no matter what you see or hear, you don't move from here until they are gone. Do you understand?"

K-mart nedded her head as Claire started to sit up to exit the Hummer. She grabbed Claire's arm and pulled her back. "Claire, I'm scared."

"We'll be okay. I just need you to stay hidden so I don't have to worry about you, okay?" At K-mart's nod, Claire opened the door and stepped out of the Hummer. K-mart quickly rolled underneath and pulled the blanket over herself. As Claire walked away, she looked back and was relieved to see that the dark blanket completely hid K-mart. She would be fine as long as she stayed quiet and out of sight.

K-mart turned her head to the side and moved the blanket just enough so she could see Claire moving away from the Hummer, crouching as she slowly moved forward. She could hear vehicle doors opening then closing and men yelling to each other. There were wisps of smoke floating through the camp and she wondered if there was a fire but she didn't smell smoke. She could see shapes that had to be bodies lying motionless on the ground. She nearly screamed when Claire was grabbed and shoved down, two men trying to control her. Claire was fighting back, struggling with the men. She managed to pull the knife she always had at her waist and sliced the neck of one of the men. He fell to the ground as the other man drove his fist into Claire's face and the side of her head until she slumped to the ground. K-mart watched in horror as the man picked Claire up and carried her out of sight. K-mart started to pull the blanket away when she heard footsteps approaching. An Umbrella soldier opened the Hummer doors, checked inside then moved away. There were too many of them. She would never be able to help Claire if she got herself captured or killed. She had to stay hidden until they left then she could call Alice. If anyone could save Claire, it was Alice. Silent tears sliding down her face, K-mart stayed under the Hummer until she heard several vehicles arrive then drive away leaving behind an eerie silence.

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice jerked awake, looking around wildly. She was trembling and her heart was pounding, threatening to break free of her body. It was the same nightmare. It was her failure to save Matt and Rain returning in clarifying detail to haunt her. She lowered her head to her hands and let the tears fall, sobs wracking her body. Later, she didn't know how long, the tears subsided and Alice took a deep breath. It was still far from dawn but there would be no more sleep for her. She rekindled the fire and pulled out the coffee and sugar packets she had found hidden away in her food supplies. Smiling at the thought of Claire taking the time to do something for her just because she wanted to do it, Alice filled the coffee pot with water, added the coffee and sat it over the fire. She washed her face and packed up her gear, tucking it neatly away in her bags. It was part of her routine after years of traveling, never staying more than a night anywhere. It was a hard habit to break. She had done the same each morning since joining the convoy here in Parson. She had just finished her first cup of coffee when a panicked voice came screeching over the radio.

"Alice! Alice! You have to help!"

Alice recognized K-mart's voice and felt a cold fear forming in her gut. "K-mart, what's wrong? Is Claire okay?"

"Alice, you have to help. They took Claire. I don't know if she's still alive. He kept hitting her and there was blood and…"

Alice tried to remain calm. "K-mart, slow down and take a deep breath. I need to know what happened. Who took Claire?"

"It was Umbrella. She made me hide under the Hummer. I saw them take her and I didn't know what to do. There were too many of them. I waited until they left. I don't think they took anyone else. Everyone is unconscious but they seem to be okay. I'm scared Alice."

Alice had a moment of complete numbness; she was frozen with only one thought in her head. _They have Claire._

"Alice!"

Alice shook herself back to the present. "K-mart where are you?"

"We stopped at a gas station for the night. Claire said we were about twenty miles from some town. She didn't want to drive through it at night."

Alice pulled her map out of her bag. "Do you remember the name of the town?"

"I don't know. I can't remember. Alice you have to get her back. Please, Alice."

Alice was examining the map, her finger tracing the road leading away from Parson. "K-mart, did you pass another road just before the gas station…one going east?"

"Yes."

"Okay, which direction did they go when they left?"

"I couldn't see them. I could only hear them but I think they went south."

"When did they leave? How long ago?" Alice was calculating distances, her eyes scanning the map looking for anything that might give her a clue about where they were taking Claire.

"Maybe fifteen or twenty minutes ago. Alice, why…"

K-mart's scream sent Alice's anxiety to a new level. "K-mart!"

"It's okay Alice. It's Otto."

"Otto, get the others up and moving. Arm everyone and stay put. I'm going after Claire."

"Claire? They took Claire?"

"K-mart will tell you what happened. Otto keep K-mart safe."

"Alice?"

"K-mart, you need to keep it together and help Otto. I'm going to get her and I'm bringing her back."

Alice grabbed her bag and strapped it to her bike then gathered her weapons. Before riding out of camp, she cut the ropes to free one of Frank's followers and threw the knife at the woman's feet. Alice raced away from Parson with as much speed as she could squeeze out of the bike. Her face was a mask, emotions dampened and locked away so she could focus on what she needed to do to get Claire back.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** When I started this, it was meant to be a quick one-shot. Now, I think it just has to be told because it won't get out of my head. I don't know how frequently I will update since my focus is really on Mass Effect right now but I will try to update at least every few weeks.

This is set during the Extinction timeline but will only loosely follow the plot.

Anything in italics is a thought, memory, dream...you get the picture.

I'm just borrowing the Resident Evil universe for my story.

The Fire in Your Eyes- Chapter 10

Claire was slowly returning to consciousness. When she tried to lift her head, sharp pain radiated through her skull causing her to clamp down on her mouth to hold in the contents of her now roiling stomach. She could feel blood running down her face, could feel the stickiness of it under her pounding head. She took several deep breaths and opened her eyes again. She was in the back of some sort of SUV and could hear at least two men in the front. She wondered if the others had been taken and her fear for K-mart was gnawing at her. Her hands were behind her back bound with what felt like plastic cuffs that were tearing into her wrists painfully. Her legs were similarly bound. Moving slowly to avoid drawing the attention of the men in the front of the vehicle, Claire managed to maneuver her hands in front of her. Praying they hadn't searched her too thoroughly, she twisted her body so she could reach her feet. Relief filled her when her fingers grazed the hilt of her last resort weapon. Stretching her upper body, she got her fingers securely around the hilt and pulled it from her boot. Minutes later, her arms and legs were tingling as feeling returned to them and her head felt like it would split open and spill her brains messily to the floor. She lay back for several minutes then noticed the silence in the vehicle. Had they heard her? Claire held her breath as she raised herself up to peer over the seat. The man in the passenger seat appeared to be sleeping. Claire sat down and considered her options which were limited to two: sit back and let them take her or attack the driver and hope to escape. She decided if the escape part didn't work out, she would make sure they killed her. Death was preferable to whatever Umbrella had planned for her. She noted at least one vehicle in front of them and one behind and hoped the dark tinted windows would hide her movements. Gripping the small knife, Claire took a deep breath and leapt over the back seat. She struck the driver first, felt the warm blood spilling over her hand as she sliced his neck open. The passenger was awake and grabbing for her. He pulled her between the seats as the SUV veered off the road. Twisting in the man's grasp, Claire relieved the dead driver of his gun and managed to fire a shot before the passenger knocked it from her hand. He let her go when he grabbed the side his neck with both hands. Claire realized that she had actually hit him. She grabbed the steering wheel and turned it sharply back to the road. As if in slow motion, the SUV started to roll. It landed on its side just as the vehicle behind plowed into it sending it rolling over again to land upside down. The second vehicle flipped several times before coming to rest on the driver's side.

Claire had only managed to avoid going through the windshield because she was wedged between the front seats. Both Umbrella soldiers had been thrown forward and were lying in the road. Claire saw the SUV that had been in front of them turn then the headlights were blinding her. Her last thoughts before the world went dark were of K-mart…and Alice.

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice had no idea where Umbrella was taking Claire. Any burnt out building could be hiding an entrance to a secret facility. She knew from the years she worked in security at Umbrella that they had facilities scattered all over the United States, all over the world. It had been two hours since K-mart's frantic plea for help. Alice had made up time by pushing the bike to its 150 mph top speed as much as possible and cutting across the desert but, if the facility was close, Claire could already be lost to her. As she finally intersected the eastbound road, she hoped K-mart had been right about the direction they were headed. She turned east and accelerated until the bike was shaking. She fought to keep the bike steady and at top speed for over an hour before she saw something ahead blocking the road. She slowed until she saw the distinctive Umbrella logo emblazoned on the side of one of the crashed SUVs. Maintaining a steady speed, Alice approached the vehicles. There were two dead Umbrella soldiers in the road and three more in one of the vehicles. In addition to the other crashed SUV, there was a third parked to the side of the road. As she looked inside the upside down SUV, a quiet voice pierced the quiet of the morning.

"Looking for this?" She turned to see ten more Umbrella soldiers, two of them holding an unconscious Claire between them. She was bloodied and battered. Alice's anger ignited and it was all she could do to control it. She had to get Claire away from them before she could unleash it.

Alice squared her shoulders and faced the men. "Let her go."

"If you come with us quietly, we'll leave her here. There's a chopper on the way to pick us up. All you have to do to save her is come with us. Otherwise, who knows what might happen to her when Dr. Isaacs has her."

Alice visibly flinched at the sound of Isaacs name. He was the one that had injected her with the T-virus. He turned her into a monster. She looked at Claire and felt her knees go weak. What if she's already dead? She could hear the helicopter approaching and knew it would arrive in a matter of minutes. "I'll go with you but only if she's still alive." Alice could see the helicopter in the distance, close enough now to be in her range.

The man laughed. "She's still alive…barely."

"I need to make sure. Let me see her."

The helicopter had landed and the two men holding Claire thought they had won. With the extra men now filing off the chopper, they were confident that there was no way this woman could escape them. They looked at each other. One shrugged his shoulders at the other and they threw Claire forward to the ground. Alice ran to her and gathered her into her arms. The Umbrella soldiers moved forward, surrounding them. Alice pulled Claire against her, closed her eyes and envisioned what she wanted to happen to these men. Their screams were ripped from their throats as an invisible force ripped them apart. In seconds, it was over. Alice opened her eyes to face the horror of what she had just done; the stark reality of the monster that lived inside her evident by the flesh and bone covering her trembling body. In an instant, she had taken the lives of at least twenty men. She looked down at Claire, breathing and warm in her arms. She had just taken the lives of all these men to save this one. She hated herself, hated what she had just done but knew that she would do it all over again, a million times over if it meant Claire was safe.

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice stopped the vehicle when she heard Claire mumbling in her sleep. After bandaging Claire's head and cleaning her other cuts and scrapes, Alice had placed her in the undamaged SUV and started driving back to the convoy. She had to move them, get them to safety before Umbrella came for them again. She had managed to get Carlos on the radio which she had taken from the motorcycle. They knew she had Claire and were on the way back to camp. Alice climbed to the back and took Claire's hand in hers.

"Claire."

Claire's yes opened, unfocused and filled with confusion. Her voice was weak and scratchy. "Alice? How did you…?"

"Don't try to talk yet. Let me get you some water." Claire gripped Alice's hand tighter.

"K-mart?"

"She's fine. They're all fine…just worried about you. We're about an hour away from them." Alice quickly grabbed a bottle of water, courtesy of Umbrella, and helped Claire drink. She set the bottle aside and took Claire's hand again. "You gonna be okay until we get back to camp?"

"I hurt all over."

Alice cupped Claire's face, tears standing in her eyes. "I know and I'm sorry. This wouldn't have happened if I had stayed away. I'm so sorry Claire."

"I'm not. I want you with me."

Alice leaned her head against Claire's and placed a gentle kiss on her brow. "I want to be with you."

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice pulled into the camp and the SUV was immediately surrounded by the entire convoy. She looked back at Claire before opening the door. She had one foot on the ground when a blonde blur barreled into her and wrapped shaking arms around her waist. Alice saw that Betty, the closest thing they had to a medical professional, was already climbing into the vehicle to tend to Claire.

Alice returned K-mart's hug feeling a surge of affection for the teen. "She'll be okay. I think she would like to know you're close. Why don't you go sit with her?"

K-mart pulled back and nodded. "Thank you Alice."

Alice quickly met with Carlos, Chase and L.J. to come up with some kind of plan. They all agreed that they needed to keep moving but would wait until the next morning. They formed a defensive plan in case of another attack and would no longer rely only on the perimeter defenses to keep them safe. Alice left them to work out the details so she could get back to Claire.

When she got back to the vehicle, Betty was waiting for her. Alice tensed at the look on Betty's face. "How is she?"

"I'm afraid she may have internal bleeding but I'm just not sure. I want someone with her at all times for the next few days. I'm not worried about the other injuries. A few are more serious but most are superficial. I don't want her to have any pain medication. I need to know exactly where she hurts."

Betty wanted to move Claire somewhere more comfortable but Alice disagreed. She wanted Claire to stay in one of the vehicles in case they had to leave in a hurry. In the end, they compromised and put the air mattress in the back of the SUV. K-mart had removed Claire's dirty clothes and had done her best to clean the blood and dirt from her body. She then spent several hours with Claire while Alice helped organize the convoy. She wanted all of them to know what they were up against and make sure they would be ready to leave in minutes if needed. When Alice returned to the SUV, K-mart left to get dinner but said she would come back before going to bed. She told Alice that Claire woke up briefly which seemed to have lessened K-mart's worry. She didn't know about Betty's concerns.

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice had asked Betty to sleep in the Hummer with K-mart. She wasn't about to leave Claire's side but didn't want K-mart to be alone. Claire had been awake briefly several times but never more than a few minutes. Alice was stretched out on her side, head propped on her hand. The glow of the lantern filled the SUV with a low, soft light. Alice brushed her fingertips over the cuts and bruises covering Claire's face, anger rising when she remembered K-mart's story about what happened. She wanted to kill the bastards all over again. For hours, she silently watched over Claire.

Before dawn, Claire woke to find Alice sleeping fitfully beside her. She remembered being pulled from the crashed SUV, remembered the men calling for a helicopter to pick them up, remembered a fist connecting with her face then nothing until she was with Alice. She smiled remembering the conversation before they got back to the convoy. She hoped she wasn't dreaming when she heard Alice, voice choked with emotion, tell her that she wanted to be with her. She needed to touch Alice. She tried to turn to her side but fell back, a hiss of escaping her when pain shot through her head.

"Claire? Are you okay?" Claire opened her eyes to see Alice peering down at her.

"It hurts to move."

"Do you need something? Water? Should I get Betty?"

"I just wanted to touch you."

Alice stretched out beside Claire and took her hand. "What hurts?"

"My head. One of those guys knocked me silly."

"K-mart told me. Claire, I…"

"No more apologies. What Umbrella did to you is not your fault. What Umbrella did to me is not your fault. Nothing Umbrella has done is your fault. And don't even think about leaving to protect the convoy. I meant it when I said I want you with me."

"I'm not going anywhere, Claire. I meant it when I said I want to be with you."

In the hours until the camp started to stir, Alice told Claire about K-mart's frantic call and her pulse pounding ride to get to her. She told her what she did to the Umbrella soldiers. She needed to be honest with Claire, let her know exactly what she was, what the monster inside her was capable of doing. She needed Claire to know, needed to give her the chance to change her mind before they went any further.

"Alice?"

"Yeah?"

"It doesn't matter what you tell me. You can't scare me away and I won't let you leave me. You're not a monster and nothing you do or say would make me believe otherwise. Now, move closer, please. I want to feel you."

Alice's heart felt lighter at Claire's words and the emotion she could hear in her voice. She moved closer, still gripping Claire's hand, and put her head on her shoulder. Claire sighed in contentment as a smile spread across her face.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** When I started this, it was meant to be a quick one-shot. Now, I think it just has to be told because it won't get out of my head.

This is set during the Extinction timeline but will only loosely follow the plot.

Anything in italics is a thought, memory, dream...you get the picture.

I'm just borrowing the Resident Evil universe for my story.

The Fire in Your Eyes- Chapter 11

It had been a week since Alice had rescued Claire from Umbrella and she was finally able to move without feeling pain. They had been moving steadily north and now found themselves in Northern Arizona. While much of the landscape had been ravished by the T-virus, there were some old growth trees still standing and they helped shield the convoy from the satellites. Umbrella had been quiet which Claire knew made Alice a little jumpy. Their encounters with the undead had been more sporadic which was a relief and provided a much needed rest. Claire looked across the fire at Alice. She was lost in her thoughts and staring up at the brilliant display of stars in the night sky. They had been sharing the SUV at night while K-mart slept in the Hummer. Much to Claire's dismay, the sharing of the SUV had consisted of exactly one thing…sleeping. Granted, they slept wrapped in each other's arms but Claire wanted more, craved more and had nightly dreams filled with more. Waking from one of those dreams with the object of her desire lying in her arms made it almost unbearable for Claire. She knew Alice was having dreams of the bad sort. Almost nightly, she cried out in her sleep and woke with a pained, terrified expression on her face. Twice, Claire had heard her mumble about Matt and Rain. She hadn't asked about the nightmares. She just comforted Alice when they came to terrorize her and hoped that, when Alice was ready, she would tell her. Alice had disappeared for hours earlier and Claire had worried that she had decided to leave. When Alice walked back into camp, Claire felt a profound relief but kept a rein on her curiosity and didn't push Alice about where she had been. A soft snore to her right drew her attention and she looked to see that K-mart, too stubborn to go to bed for fear of missing some excitement, had fallen asleep. She shook her gently to wake her so she could send her off to bed.

"K, go to bed. Your snoring is disturbing the peace."

"Claire, I do not snore."

"Okay, whatever you say."

"Alice, did you hear me snore?"

"K, leave her alone." K-mart looked at Claire, her eyes questioning. Claire shrugged and shook her head. "C'mon, I'll walk you to the Hummer."

K-mart managed to stay silent until they reached the Hummer. She was well aware of Alice's keen hearing after being embarrassed a few days ago when Alice overheard her exaggerating her role in Claire's rescue to a couple of new kids her age they had picked up on their way north. "What's wrong with her?"

"I'm not really sure, K. I think she feels guilty about what happened with Umbrella. She blames herself and no amount of telling her otherwise has changed her mind."

"She's not going to start that crap about leaving to protect us again, is she? I won't let her."

"I don't think so. I think she just needs some time. Are you sure you don't mind sleeping alone in the Hummer?"

"Are you kidding? I love it. Nobody to wake me up three times a night works for me. Night, Claire."

Claire walked back to the campfire wondering if Alice had even realized she was gone. She had seemed more withdrawn with each passing day, escaping into herself. As Claire approached the fire, she was startled at Alice's voice.

" Did K-mart get to bed?"

Claire was surprised Alice was even aware K-mart had gone to bed. "Yeah, she informed me that she sleeps much better without me in the Hummer with her."

Alice was certainly glad since she slept much better with Claire at her side. Nothing in her life had felt as good as Claire. When she woke from her nightmares, Claire chased the ghosts away and held her close. "Come sit with me."

Claire sat on the log by Alice who was once again staring up at the stars. "Alice, are you okay? Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?"

"Yeah, I think I do."

"I'm glad. I've been worried about you but I didn't want to pry. I really didn't think I had the right to press you."

Alice turned to face Claire, her face open and vulnerable. "You're wrong, Claire. You do have the right."

"Do you want to tell me about your nightmares?" Claire saw the flicker of pain in Alice's eyes. She slid off the log to the ground, tugging Alice's hand so she would join her. She put her arm around Alice and pulled her against her side.

Alice leaned her head against Claire's shoulder. She told her about Matt and Rain, her failure to save them and how their deaths haunted her almost every night when she slept, haunted her in her waking hours. She told her in horrid detail how they died, how she failed them. For the first time, she told someone everything she remembered about what Umbrella had done to her; told her about the excruciating physical pain, the constant fear and loneliness and the ever present wish to end it all if only she had been given the opportunity. When Alice finished, she sighed heavily, feeling a thousand times lighter.

Claire listened, heart aching for Alice. All of them had suffered. All of them had lost everything they loved but no one else in their little band of survivors had been experimented on by Umbrella, deliberately injected with the T-virus. Claire pulled Alice closer, held her tighter. She wanted to protect her from more pain but knew that wasn't possible in the world they now inhabited.

"Alice, I'm so sorry."

"When Umbrella took you, I was terrified of what they would do to you. I'm still terrified that something will happen to you."

Claire understood that Alice had been thinking about leaving again to not only protect the convoy but to protect herself as well. "Alice, something could happen to us at any time but that doesn't mean we let it rule us, keep us from those we…care for. You've been thinking of leaving again, haven't you?"

Alice sat up so she could face Claire and was captured by her green eyes. She let herself fall into the depths of those eyes. "Yes…I thought about it. I realized today that it's not possible. There's no way I could make myself walk away from you."

Claire felt Alice's hand on her face, leaned into it. Her heart was hammering and she could feel her hands start to tremble. She had spent her entire adult life wanting to find someone that made her feel just like Alice made her feel; filled with so much love for another person that she would do anything, be anything just to see a smile. The flames from the campfire were dancing in Alice's eyes and Claire felt her heart pound even harder remembering the first time she saw Alice. "There's no way I would let you walk away from me."

Alice smiled and kissed Claire on the cheek; her eyes held a mischievous sparkle. Claire thought the smile was slightly playful but mostly excessively devilish. She knew from that smile that the chaste peck on the cheek would be the extent of any kissing for the evening. "Claire, would you join me for a picnic tomorrow?"

"A picnic? Alice, who has a picnic when there are walking dead people roaming around wanting to make you their picnic?" Alice lowered her eyes, looking almost shy. "So, would our picnic be like a date? 'Cause that changes everything." When Alice nodded her head, Claire pulled her to her feet, took her hand and walked with her back to the SUV. "I would love to go on a picnic with you, Alice."

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire completed her morning walk through camp feeling more optimistic than she had in a long time. They had been in one place for three days and the convoy had settled in by making use of the tents and other camping gear they had taken from Parson. They were tired of running and wanted a place they could call home. Claire found herself wanting the same thing. She wanted a home with Alice. She grabbed two coffees from Otto and made her way back to the SUV. Alice was leaning against a stump with her long legs stretched out in front of her looking at a battered notebook Claire had seen her thumbing through it a few times the past couple of days.

"Got your coffee."

Alice looked up and smiled, lines at her eyes crinkling and unruly hair falling across her face. Claire had never seen anything so beautiful. Alice put the notebook in her bag and took the coffee. "No sugar?"

Claire pulled a sugar packet from her pocket. "I wouldn't dare bring you coffee without sugar."

"Thanks. Everything okay in camp?"

"Yeah, everyone seems pretty happy to be in one place for a while. We all need a rest and with the supplies we picked up in Parson, we could stay for weeks if it stays quiet."

Claire wondered at the look Alice had on her face, like she was considering something important. "Just so you know K-mart will be persistently annoying when she finds out we're having a picnic. It might be a good idea to leave sooner rather than later."

"That's okay; it's a bit of a hike. When I was gone yesterday, I found a perfect place for a picnic. I, uh, was actually thinking that we could have an overnight excursion."

Claire sat down beside Alice, a smile breaking across her face. "It's our first date. I don't know…"

"I promise I won't behave at all."

"Well, then, an overnight trip sounds perfect."

Claire finished her coffee with Alice before finding Carlos to let him know that she and Alice would be gone until the next day.

TTTTTTTTTT

K-mart was beyond excited when Claire told her that she had a 'date' with Alice. She had insisted on packing the picnic for them. Claire was following Alice down a rocky trail into a valley that was miraculously unaffected by the T-virus. There was even a small stream running through the center of the valley. When they reached the valley floor, Alice grabbed Claire's hand and pointed back to the cliff they had just descended. Claire was amazed to see a cliff dwelling built into the side of the cliff. It was a five-story dwelling overlooking the valley.

"Alice, it's amazing."

"Yeah, it is. I couldn't believe it when I turned around and saw it there. I did a little exploring. There's not much to see but it made me feel like a kid again. C'mon, there's a perfect spot up there for a picnic."

"Alice, we just came down from that cliff."

"Yeah and now we're climbing back up."

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire was sitting at the edge of the cliff looking out over the valley while Alice unpacked sleeping bags and banked the small fire they had built in the ancient fire pit. The moon was full and blanketed the valley with light. Alice had been more relaxed and open since they arrived; she seemed happy. That thought brought a smile to Claire's face.

"What are you thinking about?"

"You. And how beautiful it is here. Thank you for bringing me."

Alice sat beside Claire and took her hand. "When I found this place yesterday, I kept wishing you were with me. I wanted to share it with you. I want to share everything with you, Claire."

"I want that…since the first time I saw you, I've wanted it."

Alice moved closer to Claire, ran her hand up Claire's arm to her face and caressed her cheek. Without fail, when she looked into Claire's eyes she was lost, swallowed by the intensity of the feelings inside her. She leaned forward slowly, unable to take her eyes from Claire's. She felt like she was about to plunge from the cliff, blissful and unafraid of the landing. When her lips touched Claire's, she couldn't contain the sigh that escaped her throat or the pulsing beat of her heart. When she felt Claire's lips part and the urgency of her response, she let go, let herself tumble from the abyss her fear had created. She tumbled head first into the clear waters of the passion, the love she felt for Claire Redfield.

Chapter 12

Claire woke before dawn and was surprised to find Alice still sleeping. A smile lit her face at the memory of the night they had shared and at the promise of many more to come. She tentatively reached down and caressed the soft cheek she had wanted to touch from the moment she saw Alice sleeping after she saved the convoy from the infected birds. She felt tears sting her eyes and was amazed that such a simple gesture could fill her with so much emotion…so much love. She was startled when a sleepy blue eye peered up at her. She could feel the skin beneath her hand move as a smile creased Alice's face.

Claire nervously started to pull her hand away. "I didn't mean to wake you. I've wanted to do that since I met you."

Alice placed her hand over Claire's, closed her eyes and leaned into Claire's touch. "I've wanted you to do that since I met you."

Claire rested her head against Alice's, closing her eyes to stop the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes.

My heart beats for you

Pounds against my chest, races like a streak of lightning across the sky

Constricts and stops my breath,

Aches for your presence, your gentle touch and the strength of your arms

My heart bleeds it need through my body

Flows outward from the center,

Fills my veins with longing


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** It has been a while since I've written anything. This is a short chapter and I'm a little rusty so be kind.

This is set during the Extinction timeline but will only loosely follow the plot.

Anything in italics is a thought, memory, dream...you get the picture.

I'm just borrowing the Resident Evil universe for my story.

The Fire in Your Eyes- Chapter 12

Claire woke before dawn and was surprised to find Alice still sleeping. A smile lit her face at the memory of the night they had shared. A night filled with gentle kisses and quiet laughter as they talked and learned more about each other. The convoy leader tentatively reached down and caressed the soft cheek she had wanted to touch from the moment she saw Alice sleeping after she saved the convoy from the infected birds. She felt tears sting her eyes and was amazed that such a simple gesture could fill her with so much emotion…so much love. She was startled when a sleepy blue eye peered up at her. She could feel the skin beneath her hand move as a smile creased Alice's face.

Claire nervously started to pull her hand away. "I didn't mean to wake you. It's just…I've wanted to do that since I met you."

Alice placed her hand over Claire's, closed her eyes and leaned into Claire's touch. "I've wanted you to do that since I met you."

Claire rested her head against Alice's and closed her eyes to stop the tears that were threatening to spill down her face. "Alice, thank you."

Alice turned to face Claire, "For what?"

Claire trailed her fingers down the side of Alice's face, neck and collarbone, placing it over Alice's heart. "Thank you for letting me inside, allowing me to see you, really see you."

Alice looked into Claire's eyes and felt her heart stop then start to race at a frantic pace at what she saw reflected in those green eyes. "Claire, I…the way you make me feel scares me to death. There is only one thing that scares me more than what I feel for you. I have never wanted anyone to know too much about me. I have never let anyone get too close. With you, I'm defenseless. I've never felt so vulnerable in my life. I could tear through a horde of the undead without a scratch but one word from you could rip my heart to shreds."

Claire pushed a stray hair behind her ear and let out a breath she had been holding. "Alice, I'm scared, too. I wanted to deny what I feel for you because it terrified me. I can't do that anymore. I want to feel the joy and the love that fills my heart. I want to feel the passion and desire race through my body at the mere thought of you. Alice, when every day in our nightmare world is a struggle to survive, when every day is filled with fear, when the pain for what we've lost is the only thing we feel, it's easy to forget that there is still beauty all around us. You are beautiful in every way, Alice. What I feel for you is…it's something I can't describe but, it is the most beautiful thing I have ever felt in my life. Please, don't let your fear guide you."

Alice stared into Claire's eyes and lost herself. She was no longer just Alice. Everything she had been was changed because Claire looked at her in a way no one had ever looked at her. "My fear doesn't stand a chance against you."

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire narrowed her eyes against the glare of the sun as she watched Alice walk ahead of her. She had spent the entire hike back to the camp watching Alice, studying her movements and facial expressions to learn more about this woman that had captured her heart and changed her life. Alice seemed to be a woman with no concerns, her body relaxed and her stride confident as if there was no threat of the undead attacking at any moment. Claire knew that underneath the relaxed manner was a deadly hair trigger that would eliminate any threat without any conscious thought from Alice. Claire shook her head and smiled at her inability to do anything but look at Alice or think about Alice as they neared camp. After their conversation this morning, they had spent a few hours talking and exploring the cliff dwellings before regretfully leaving to hike back to the camp. Claire wanted to stay, wanted to hide away from Umbrella, the undead and the rest of the world and just be with Alice. Her responsibilities to the convoy and, more importantly, her responsibility to Kmart made her push those feelings down. As they had topped the trail that led away from the dwellings, she had looked back one last time and made a silent promise to herself that they would return.

"You okay?"

Claire looked up to find blue eyes staring at her. She felt her cheeks burning when she realized that she had become so lost in her thoughts that she had stopped walking. "Um, yeah. I was just thinking."

Smiling, Alice took Claire's hand and started walking again. "What were you thinking about? What is it that put that look on your face, Ms. Redfield?"

Claire felt herself blushing again. "I was thinking about the convoy and about Kmart."

"Uh huh….and?"

"And…you. I was thinking about you. In fact, you have quite taken over my thoughts."

Alice laughed and the joy in it made Claire's heart beat just a bit faster. "Well, Claire, that's a good thing because you fill my every thought and inhabit my dreams every night. I just simply cannot stop thinking about you."

As Claire opened her mouth to respond, Alice tilted her head to the side and took off at a dead run. "The camp. Something's wrong."

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice raced for the camp, images of death filling her mind. She was terrified that something would happen to Kmart before she could get there. She had grown to care a great deal about the convoy and the gangly blonde teenager. More than that, she knew that Claire would be devastated if anything happened to Kmart. When she burst into the clearing, she found a group of convoy members, led by Carlos, surrounding three Umbrella soldiers. She saw bodies on the ground, members of the convoy and more Umbrella soldiers. She frantically scanned the camp until she saw Kmart, pistol in hand, standing in front of a group of children. _Ah, Claire. You may not have given birth to her but, she is your daughter._

Alice turned as Claire came running up the trail, fear in her eyes. She grabbed Claire's arm as she ran past and turned her to face Kmart. "Claire, she's fine."

Claire's shoulders slumped in relief when she saw Kmart, alive and whole. She looked around at the bodies on the ground and felt her heart ache. These once strangers had become her family. They had found each other in the chaos of learning to survive in the world Umbrella had created and now they were gone. She had failed them.

"Claire, stop. This is not your fault. If anyone is to blame, it's me. They're here because of me. Stop blaming…"

Both women turned at the sound of Carlos' calling Claire's name. "Claire, they…"

"What the hell happened here Carlos? You were supposed to protect these people. Look around. How many are dead because you didn't do your job?"

"They killed the outlying guards. Claire, they were on top of us with no warning. We're lucky any of us are still breathing."

Claire immediately regretted her words to Carlos and knew they came from her own sense of failure. "Carlos, I'm sorry."

Carlos, all too familiar with Claire's temper, shrugged and told the two women what had happened. They quickly tended to the wounded convoy members and tried to calm the others. That evening, they cared for the bodies of the dead and buried them beneath the largest tree near the camp. Kmart built a cairn with a small item belonging to each of the dead inside. They had lost seven members of the convoy.

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire finished her customary walk through the camp. She was saddened by their dwindling number and was fearful that Alice would leave. She would leave to protect them. Her heart clenched painfully at the thought of not having Alice in her life. She pushed the thought aside, too terrible to contemplate. Changing direction, she made her way to the central fire hoping to find Kmart. She needed reassurance before meeting with Alice and Carlos. Her gut was in knots. She knew Alice would leave. She knew it and she knew there would be nothing she could do to stop her. Spotting Kmart, Claire sat beside her in silence.

"You think she will leave, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. I won't be able to do anything to stop her."

Kmart was very young but had grown up learning to survive in a heartless world. She had grown up fast and was as mature and cognizant as someone twice her age.

"No, Claire. You won't be able to stop her if she feels she needs to go. If she leaves, it's not because she wants to leave. If she leaves, it's to protect us and, Claire, Umbrella has targeted the convoy because of Alice. If she leaves, that doesn't mean she won't come back."

Claire sat in silence for several minutes before turning to Kmart, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "If she leaves, she doesn't have to go alone."

"Wait. Claire, you can't abandon the convoy…or me."

"K, I would never abandon you or the convoy. You're right though. If Alice leaves, it doesn't mean she can't or won't come back. If I go with her, help her do what she needs to do to get Umbrella off her back, we can come back to the convoy." Claire looked into Kmart's worried eyes and felt a little pain stab her heart. She pulled the girl into a hug and felt arms snake around her waist, clinging to her in desperation. Claire held Kmart until the girl pulled away, a new strength shining through the tears in her eyes.

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice stepped closer to the fire and knelt to stir the contents of two battered mugs she had been patiently keeping warm as she waited for Claire. Alice shook her head, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. She had spent the time since returning to camp considering her options which were limited to three. She could run from Umbrella and continue to endanger the convoy. She could leave the convoy and lead Umbrella as far away from Claire and the others as possible. Her last option would give her what she wanted if she could manage to stay alive. She could go after Umbrella, take down the Umbrella facility and return to the convoy without endangering them. She had paced a path around the fire as she played out each scenario in her head. Each time, she came to the same conclusion. She had to keep Claire safe but she couldn't bear the thought of spending the remainder of her once hopeless life without Claire Redfield in her arms at the end of each grueling day. She stood as a booted foot snapped a twig behind her.

"Alice, can we talk about what you're planning?"

Alice stood and turned to face the woman that had captured her completely, heart and soul. Once she had made the decision to actively go after Umbrella, it had been relatively easy to imagine Claire being with her. It didn't matter that they would be walking into a secret Umbrella facility filled with highly trained soldiers. Claire would be safer with her. She would be safer knowing she had to stay alive to keep Claire alive.

"Claire, before you say anything…"

"Alice, wait. At least hear me out before you leave. I want to go with you. I am going with you. We can do what we need to do to keep Umbrella away from the convoy then return. Carlos can keep everyone together and keep the convoy moving. I won't let you walk away from me. Together we can take down the Umbrella facility and then we can…we can be together."

Alice stood still and silent for several heartbeats, unable to do anything but stare into Claire's depthless green eyes. "Okay."

"What? You're not arguing with me?"

Alice took a step then another until she was standing face to face with Claire. Taking both of Claire's hands in her own, she raised her head to look into Claire's eyes. "No argument. I would do anything to keep you and the convoy safe but, I can't walk away from you. We will do what needs to be done together."

Claire stared at Alice, mouth slightly ajar. She had expected anything but this from Alice.

Her lips aching to feel the softness of the lips in front of her, Alice lowered her head and gently kissed Claire. She raised her hand to Claire's cheek as she pulled away. Her knees felt weak and her stomach felt like it was filled with a colony of butterflies trying to escape their confinement. She was terrified of everything she was feeling but, she wouldn't trade it for anything. She loved this amazing woman standing in front of her and wanted to make sure Claire knew it before they left the relative safety of the convoy. A smile shining in her eyes, she took Claire's hand and led her to a secluded part of camp and the tent they shared.


	13. Chapter 13

This is set during the Extinction timeline but will only loosely follow the plot.

Anything in italics is a thought, memory, dream...you get the picture.

I'm just borrowing the Resident Evil universe for my story.

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 13

Claire's eyes darted nervously from the door of the run down building to the hundreds of undead lining the perimeter of the Umbrella facility. She gripped the helicopter's cyclic stick, her heart racing at the thought of Alice being in there with no one to watch her back. She had let Alice go in alone. Alone! Alice would be safer facing the undead clawing at the fence than in an underground facility filled with Umbrella soldiers and scientists. In the two weeks it had taken them to locate the facility, Claire had learned more than she ever wanted to know about the horrendous experiments Alice had endured. They had argued for hours. In the end, Claire had agreed to wait with the chopper. She felt an overwhelming need to protect Alice when she entered the facility. She needed to keep her safe but when Alice, tears spilling from her eyes, confessed her fear that Claire would be captured and used in experiments, admitted that her fear would affect her ability to focus on what she needed to do to get out alive, Claire had agreed. She would never forget the sinking feeling in her gut when Alice turned, waved and disappeared into the building. She knew that she would regret her decision for the rest of her life and vowed to never let Alice out of her sight again. Sighing heavily, Claire trained her eyes on the building, tried to bore a hole through the door that had swallowed Alice. "God damn it, Alice. Get your ass out here."

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Alice closed the door behind her, looked around at the bare room and breathed a sigh of relief that Claire had set aside her stubborn nature and agreed to wait outside. The only furniture in the building, a battered table in the center of the room, drew Alice's attention. She pushed it aside and pulled back the dusty rug covering the floor. In minutes, she had taken the elevator down to the level holding the labs. Before she destroyed the facility, she wanted to destroy Dr. Isaacs. She needed to stare into his monstrous eyes when she killed him, needed him to know that she was the cause of his death. Stepping from the elevator, Alice took in the blood splattered walls and the mangled bodies of Umbrella soldiers lying broken and twisted on the floor. She moved forward cautiously, senses heightened as she scanned the hallway for the newest Umbrella project gone wrong. She checked several rooms before finding what had to be Isaacs' lab. It had been ripped apart and, like the hallways, was littered with dead bodies. Alice made her way slowly through the lab looking for Isaacs. As much as she wanted him dead, she didn't want to find him in this destruction. She needed to feel the satisfaction of watching the life drain out of him. Alice searched every inch of the lab, turned over countless bodies and found nothing of Isaacs. She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. She had been gone longer than she anticipated and knew that Claire would be worried. She had a primal need to kill Isaacs but knew the convoy would never have to fear this Umbrella facility again. It was decimated. Putting aside her own need for revenge, Alice pushed away from the wall to return to Claire. As she walked away, she felt something pulling her back to the wall she had just used for support. The further she got from the wall, the more intense and uncomfortable she felt. She turned and scrutinized the wall up, down and from side to side. She saw a doorway behind a pile of overturned tables and lab equipment. It was almost completely concealed behind the debris from the lab. Her curiosity and the need she felt pulling her back wouldn't let her leave without checking the room behind the door. She made quick work of clearing the doorway then cautiously stepped through, pistol in one hand and khukuri blade in the other. As realization of what she was seeing hit her square in the chest, Alice fell to her knees, her lungs working painfully hard to pull air into her heaving body.

TTTTTTTTTT

Kmart couldn't keep the grin from her face as she pressed her foot harder on the accelerator and felt the hummer respond immediately. She gently eased back when Carlos cleared his throat to warn her to slow down. It had taken her two weeks to convince him to let her behind the wheel. She wasn't about to be relegated back to the passenger seat within minutes of starting the day's drive. She glanced at Carlos and laughed at the stern look he was trying to wear. She could see the corners of his mouth turn up despite his attempts to play parent to her. Since Claire had found her, she had been both blessed and cursed with a whole convoy of adults who assumed the parental role. Initially, Kmart resented it and them. Now, she understood how truly lucky she was to have so many people looking out for her. She no longer scowled at the advice and warnings given to her by the convoy members…her family. She missed Claire, who was in every way except birthing her, a mother to her. She missed Alice and wanted nothing more than to have Claire and Alice back home. Kmart had taken over Claire's nightly routine of walking through camp to make sure all was well with the convoy. At the end of those walks, she would stare down the road they had just traveled, open her eyes wide and search for the lone headlight from Alice's motorcycle. She was starting to worry that they had been gone too long and knew Carlos was, too, though he tried to hide it from her and the others. Feeling her mood take a downward shift quickly, Kmart pushed thoughts of Claire and Alice from her mind and turned on her favorite CD. In minutes, she and Carlos were singing as the hummer carried them further away from Claire and Alice.

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice felt all energy leave her as she stared over at Isaacs' broken form. She thought that, in the end, Isaacs' transformation into this grotesque vessel was most appropriate for the monster that had dwelled within. She didn't know how or why Isaacs had transformed. Whether by choice or necessity, she didn't care. He was dead and that was all that mattered to her. He would never hurt her again. He would never hurt Claire. He would never hurt the convoy. Feeling the relief of that particular burden slide from her, Alice took stock of her injuries as she tried to stand on what she knew was a badly broken leg. She would heal but this injury would not heal quickly. She started pulling herself back to the room behind Isaacs' lab. She had to do one more thing before finding something to use as a crutch and making her way back to Claire. She was halfway to her destination when the white queen appeared in front of her. Wanting…needing to get back to Claire, Alice almost kept going. She stopped suddenly as she realized that she would never have defeated Isaacs and lived if not for the information provided to her by the white queen. She had to remind herself that this was not the red queen, inflexible and uncaring about human deaths. Alice stopped and patiently waited.

"Thank you, Alice. Dr. Isaacs had to be stopped. Now, there is something else you must do before you leave this place."

"No, there isn't. I came here to kill Isaacs and to make sure this facility was shut down. I have done all I came to do. I'm leaving."

"Alice, you must stay. You will change your mind when you understand what is at stake. Your leg will require time to heal before you can safely leave."

"No, I won't change my mind. There's someone up there waiting for me and I won't leave her wondering if I'm dead or alive any longer. Whatever you need, you'll have to find someone else to do it for you. Thank you for your help with Isaacs." Alice pulled herself to her feet and, using the wall to support her weight, made her way to the enormous room behind the lab as the white queen stood staring after her.

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire climbed back in the chopper. This was the fourth time in ten minutes she had decided to go after Alice only to find herself back in the pilot's seat seconds later. This indecision was unlike her and driving her mad. She kept hearing Alice's tearful plea for her to stay behind and the reason for it. What if she charged into the facility and caused Alice to be hurt? Or worse? She could never live with herself if that happened. She could never live with herself if something happened to Alice while she sat outside, out of danger, like a helpless burden that needed to be protected. She didn't know what to do. Looking back once more at the building, Claire felt the air leave her lungs as the door slowly opened and Alice emerged. She jumped to the ground, her legs wobbly in relief, and told herself to breathe. Closing her eyes, she let the feeling of joy at seeing Alice wash through her, soothing her fears and making her life whole again. She stood motionless, eyes closed, heart beating wildly and savored the love she felt for Alice. She felt her anxiety and her fear fall away from her, replaced with a sense that all would be well as long as they had each other, Kmart and the convoy. It wasn't until she heard Alice's piercing scream that her eyes flew open, wide with terror. Alice was surrounded by the undead. As Claire watched, Alice was pulled to the ground by a group of them that had somehow gotten through the perimeter fence. Claire's screams were feral as she ran to Alice, knowing in her gut but refusing to believe that it was already too late.


	14. Chapter 14

This is set during the Extinction timeline but will only loosely follow the plot.

Anything in italics is a thought, memory, dream...you get the picture.

I'm just borrowing the Resident Evil universe for my story.

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 14

Claire knelt in the dust, bodies of the undead lying motionless around her. Her hand trembled as she slowly lowered it to Alice's bloodied face. Claire couldn't feel her heart beating though she knew it was frantically crashing against her chest. She couldn't feel air moving to fill her lungs though she knew it must be doing so. She couldn't feel the hot, wet tears streaming from her eyes though she saw them fall heavily to her shaking hand. Her eyes were locked on Alice as her hand made the slow descent, hesitating and hovering above Alice's face. She knew Alice was gone but she didn't know…not really. She hadn't looked into lifeless blue eyes, hadn't felt cold, dead flesh against her skin. She was paralyzed by fear, her mind consumed with dread. She could no longer hear the undead rattling the perimeter fence…didn't care if they devoured her, body and soul. Her stomach churning and her body heaving, Claire lowered her hand to Alice's face. She cupped Alice's cheek and gently turned her face. Alice looked peaceful as if she was only sleeping. Claire ran her fingertips up her cheek and across her forehead. She brushed an errant lock of hair back and felt herself break apart inside.

"Wake up, Alice! Don't do this to me. Open your eyes…please, just open your eyes." Claire gently laid her head on Alice's shoulder and felt the drying blood stick to her skin. She relaxed her tense, aching muscles and decided to just stay there. She would wait until the undead found her; let them take her, too. She hated to leave Kmart but knew Carlos would look after her and the rest of the convoy. Her place was with Alice.

"Claire?"

"Alice! I thought…thank god, you're alive." Claire was on her knees again, hands on either side of Alice's face.

"Not Alice."

"What? You're confused. It was the undead. I tried to get to you but, I was so far away. You'll be okay. I just need to get you inside and find medical supplies."

"No, not Alice. In the lab."

"I don't understand." Claire, for the first time, realized that Alice's clothing was not the same clothing she was wearing when she went into the building. She tried to find the scars on Alice's torso but there was so much damage and blood that she couldn't be sure if they were there or not. She pulled the already ripped sleeve of Alice's shirt away to reveal her upper arm. Where there should have been a scar was perfect, undamaged skin. She looked into the fading eyes of this woman and realized that she wasn't Alice. The eyes were the same color but there was no fire in them. She couldn't see the heart and soul of her lover when she looked into them. This was a stranger. "Where is she?"

"Inside…the lab. Find her."

Claire's need to get to Alice was tempered by her fear of Umbrella. If she walked into that building she could be walking into a trap. "Did Alice send you? Is she okay?"

"She said to remember the picnic."

TTTTTTTTTT

Alice felt tears sting her eyes as she looked down the rows of clones created by Isaacs. She slid the makeshift crutch under her arm and slowly made her way to the most recent pod to be opened. The newest clone was being tended by three of the first four she had "awakened". She had asked the fourth to get Claire and bring her back to the lab. It wasn't the best idea she had ever had but, with her leg she couldn't do it herself. She just hoped Claire would listen and know it wasn't a trap. Her resolve to leave had faltered when the White Queen told her that she could synthesize a cure for the T-Virus using her own blood. The fact that her leg had a compound fracture and would take days to heal made the decision to stay relatively easy. She also knew that she would never forgive herself if she left her clones suspended in the pods. Thankfully, the White Queen had told her which ones could be safely awakened and which ones needed more time in the pods. She hoped to synthesize a cure with the White Queen's assistance while her leg healed. After that, she wanted to leave the awakened clones here to monitor the pods and open them when it was safe to do so. She knew Claire would want to get back to Kmart and the convoy as soon as possible and, according to the White Queen; it would be months before some of the pods could be opened. She hated thinking of them as clones. They were people, flesh and blood just like her. They were her or, at least, part of her was in them.

"Alice. Claire Redfield has entered the facility. I have directed her to the lab."

Alice felt a smile spread across her face. She thanked the White Queen and started moving toward the elevator. Every step she took sent a jolt of pain through her body but, if she hurried, she might make it before Claire arrived on this level. To be standing at the elevator when the doors opened would be worth any amount of pain.

TTTTTTTTTT

Claire leaned against the wall as the elevator carried her further underground. The appearance of the computer hologram had surprised her. Thankfully, Alice had told her about the Red Queen at the Hive facility. She hoped this one was more agreeable to keeping humans alive. She had, at least, lessened Claire's fear for Alice when she said she would inform Alice of her arrival. Feeling her strength failing her rapidly, Claire hefted the burden in her arms and pushed off the wall. It would have been easier to leave the body behind but she wore the face of the person Claire loved more than anything. She couldn't walk away and leave her there alone. As the elevator slowed, Claire took a step toward the door. She knew Alice would be on the other side of those doors and she wasn't disappointed when the doors slid open to reveal Alice. Immediately, Claire saw the pain underneath the smile, saw the broken bone jutting through Alice's skin below her knee. Before Claire could protest, Alice was lifting the lifeless body from her arms, nearly falling when she took the weight on her broken leg.

"Damn it, Alice, put her down." Claire helped lower the body to the floor then wrapped her arms around Alice to keep her from falling. "Here, let me help you sit down. What happened to your leg? We need medical supplies and you shouldn't be trying to walk."

"Claire?"

"Do you have any other injuries? I should have never let you come in here alone."

"Claire?"

"I thought you were dead. Do you know how that feels, Alice? Do you? Never again! Do you understand? I will not let you out of my sight again. Do you know…"

"Claire, I love you."

Claire closed her eyes tight before opening them to see azure ones starting back at her. She gripped Alice's hand and brought it to her lips.

"Claire, are you okay? Is this blood yours?"

Claire looked down at herself. She was covered in blood from her neck to her waist. "No, it's hers. Alice, who is she?"

"Isaacs cloned her using my DNA. There are hundreds, Claire." Tears in her eyes, Alice looked at the motionless body lying beside her. "What happened to her?"

Claire looked around at the bodies of the Umbrella soldiers and the blood splattered walls. She winced when her eyes fell on Alice's leg. "First, your leg then we can talk about what happened. Okay?" Claire snaked her arm around Alice's waist and helped her to her feet.

"As you wish."

"Alice, I love you, too."


End file.
